US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks with top Chinese officials next week in Anchorage, Alaska, the State Department announced on Wednesday, a meeting that America’s top diplomat said would not herald further high-level talks unless it could yield “tangible outcomes”.
Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan plan to discuss “a range of issues” with Yang Jiechi, China’s most senior foreign policy official, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the department said, confirming a report by the South China Morning Post on Tuesday that the meeting would take place in a location roughly halfway between Washington and Beijing.
Yet despite the equidistant nature of the location, White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday emphasised the fact that the meeting was taking place in the US.
“It was important to us that this administration’s first meeting with Chinese officials be held on American soil and occur after we have met and consulted closely with partners and allies in both Asia and Europe,” Psaki told reporters.
The meeting, slated for Thursday of next week, will take place after US President Joe Biden takes part in a summit with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia, which together with the US form an alliance known as the Quad.
Blinken and Sullivan will use the meeting with Yang and Wang to address a range of issues, including those where the two sides have “deep disagreements”, Psaki said. “We’ll be frank in explaining … our concerns about challenges they pose to the security and values of the United States and our allies and partners.”
Among the topics will be Washington’s commitment to standing up for “the rules-based international system and a free and open Indo-Pacific”, she said.
Source : China News
