US-China relations: No ‘unrealistic expectations’ for Alaska meeting
- Washington officials say Thursday’s high-level diplomatic sit-down in Anchorage is intended as an initial discussion
- Difficult issues will be raised, but don’t expect any specific negotiated deliverables, they warn
“The conversations in Anchorage are very much intended as an initial discussion to understand … our interests, intentions and priorities,” a senior administration official said on a background briefing call with reporters. The US did not anticipate any “specific negotiated deliverables” to result from the talks, they said, nor would there be a joint statement issued following the meeting.
“We don’t have any unrealistic expectations,” another senior official on Tuesday’s call said. “We’re of course coming to these discussions with a very clear-eyed view about [China’s] pretty poor track record of keeping its promises.”
Representing Beijing at Thursday’s meeting will be Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Blinken will be joined by White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, both of whom will be returning from meetings with allied governments in the Indo-Pacific region.
Despite low expectations for deliverable commitments from Beijing, officials said on Tuesday they believed the US was going into the talks with an “increasingly strong hand”, noting progress in the country’s ongoing pandemic recovery and the administration’s efforts to reinvigorate alliances with global partners.
The first official said the administration would “lay down some specific areas where we believe Beijing does need to take some steps to change course”, among them its “economic coercion” of US allies such as Australia. Other areas expected to be raised by Blinken and Sullivan include Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Taiwan, China’s actions in the South China Sea, and technology.