The United States and China
WASHINGTON, March 19 (EFE) – US President Joe Biden was “very proud” of the reaction of his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, after exchanging tense and non-diplomatic statements with Chinese officials at a bilateral meeting in Alaska.
On Friday, Biden said in statements to the press before boarding Air Force One on a flight to Atlanta, when asked about the unusual verbal clash between the principal diplomatic representatives of Washington and Beijing on Thursday, “I am very proud of the Secretary of State.”
For her part, the White House press secretary, Karen Jean-Pierre, described today the reaction of the President of the Chinese Communist Party for Foreign Affairs, Yang Jiechi, as “exaggerated” and intended “for the domestic audience.” . ”
“The American delegation went to Anchorage (Alaska), committed to demonstrating the principles, interests and values that drive our relationship with Beijing,” said Jean-Pierre on board Air Force One.
The tension began immediately after the Biden administration’s first meeting with the government of Chinese President Xi Jinping, in front of reporters and television cameras.
Blinken began by saying that Washington is trying to repel Chinese practices, because “having power does not mean being right” and criticizing Beijing for taking measures that “threaten the rules-based (global) order that maintains global stability.”
Likewise, the foreign minister has offered his Chinese interlocutors his intention to talk about cyberattacks and the situation in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and northwestern Taiwan.
The show did not like the Chinese delegation, and Yang responded harshly for 18 minutes to the Americans in front of the cameras.
“We do not believe in the invasions using force, the overthrow of other regimes, and the massacres of people from other countries,” stressed the Chinese official, who said it is important for the United States to change its image.
Yang noted, “Many people in the United States do not have much confidence in American democracy.”
Blinken arrived in Alaska after visiting Japan and South Korea, the US allies in Asia, on his first international trip, accompanied by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
During their stay in Tokyo, the US and Japanese governments issued a joint statement criticizing China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority in the northwestern Xinjiang province and its “destabilizing behavior” towards neighboring countries.
Relations between China and the United States have deteriorated dramatically during the era of former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) with collisions in aircraft such as commercial, diplomatic or technological, and although Biden has promised another approach, his government does not appear to be so. In a hurry to completely end his conflicts with Beijing.