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Mimi Lau

While some agreements were reached in the high-level US-China talks in Anchorage, Beijing remained firm on what it deems matters of national sovereignty, security and development.
Beijing described the talks – the first with officials from the Biden administration – as candid, constructive and helpful despite “important differences between the two sides”, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The topics ranged across issues of bilateral and international concerns.
Here is where they found common cause and agreed to disagree.
Agreement
Climate change
Both China and the United States said they would work to tackle the issue. A statement released by the Chinese side said the countries would establish a joint working group on climate change to strengthen dialogue and cooperation.


The issue has been seen as one area for potential cooperation since Joe Biden took office. The US president will hold an Earth Day summit in April, and Chinese observers said an invitation could be extended to President Xi Jinping.
Coronavirus pandemic
China said the two countries could work on controlling the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery. The two sides have also discussed arrangements for their diplomats and consular staff to receive Covid-19 vaccines.
The pandemic pushed the relationship between the two sides to a new low, with officials from the Trump administration blaming China for the outbreak and using terms such as the “China virus”.
People-to-people exchanges
China, US still split on hot-button topics but agree to climate change group
Both sides have imposed restrictions on exchanges, including limiting visas for journalists and on academics. The Alaska talks included a discussion about changes to visa policies, raising hopes that these restrictions could be eased.
Regional issues
Both sides discussed issues where their interests are aligned, including Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and Myanmar. They also agreed to cooperate in bodies such as the G20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and strengthen communication on policy issues such as economics, trade, law enforcement, the humanities, public health and cybersecurity.

Differences
Hong Kong
The city was one of the key items on the agenda, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying they were “fundamentally at odds” over the issue. A day before the talks began, the US sanctioned 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials.
But Beijing refuses to budge on matters it regards as purely domestic, including Hong Kong, and says the US should not meddle in China’s internal affairs. It says the National People’s Congress has every right to make changes to the city’s electoral system – which critics say will undermine democracy – and told Washington not to support groups it regards as separatists.
Xinjiang
Beijing said that accusations of genocide in the far-western region, where it is accused of detaining a million Uygurs and other Muslim minorities, were the biggest lie of the century.
It says that while Xinjiang is open to the world, it will not accept any investigation in Xinjiang based on the presumption of guilt. It has said critics of its policies are biased and want to lecture China, and argues that the US view does not represent international opinion.
US and Chinese officials clash in Alaska, but who’s at the table?
Taiwan
Beijing regards the island as a breakaway province, and has demanded that the US stop arms sales and avoid showing any support for pro-independence forces.
The Communist Party
China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi said during the talks that China did not believe in using force to topple other regimes.
He said the Chinese Communist Party enjoyed widespread support and the US should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs as it had nothing to be proud of at a time when Black Americans were being “slaughtered”.


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US-China relations

Alaska summit: what the US and China agree on, and what still divides them

The two sides agreed to work together to tackle climate change. Photo: AP

People visit an exhibition to mark the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China at a museum in Beijing on March 12, 2021. (Photo by - / AFP)

China and US urged to work together in fight against climate change after Alaska summit

The US and China are both committed to the fight against climate change. Photo: AP

Alaska summit: US and Chinese officials clash, but who’s at the table?

The two-day meeting is being held at a hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo: Xinhua

Yang Jiechi, director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office for China addresses the US delegation at the opening session of US-China talks at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska on March 18, 2021. - China's actions "threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday at the opening of a two-day meeting with Chinese counterparts in Alaska. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / POOL / AFP)

Newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a welcome ceremony at the State Department in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. (Carlos Barria/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

epa08661158 A handout photo made available by Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry shows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their talks in Moscow, Russia, 11 September 2020. Chinese Foreign Minister is on a working visit in Moscow. EPA-EFE/RUSSIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY / HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT / HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

(210318) -- ANCHORAGE, March 18, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai speaks during a joint interview with Chinese media in Anchorage, Alaska, the United States, March 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

(FILES) In this file photo US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing on February 4, 2021, in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC. - The United States and Israel will hold their first joint consultations on strategic issues in the Middle East since President Joe Biden took office, the White House said on March 10, 2021. Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will lead the virtual meeting along with Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat on March 11, 2021, said Emily Horne, spokeswoman for the US National Security Council. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

(FILES) In this file photo taken on December 13, 2012, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell speaks at a press conference at the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur. - Campbell, a key architect of Barack Obama's US "pivot" to Asia, will take a top job for President-elect Joe Biden, signaling renewed efforts to rally with allies in the face of a rising China. Campbell will serve as coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the National Security Council and deputy to Jake Sullivan, the incoming national security advisor, said The Asia Group, a consultancy Campbell founded in 2013 after leaving government. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP)

Jonathan Fritz, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission | U.S. Embassy & Consulates ... US Embassy and Consulates in China. HANDOUT PHOTO

=== PHOTO CAPTURED FROM TWITTER === Deputy Chief of Mission Robert W. Forden | U.S. Embassy & Consulates ... US Embassy and Consulates in China. TWITTER

The Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the HKSAR Xie Feng gives a speech in a press conference in Hong Kong on February 7, 2020. - The official Chinese death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rose to 636, with the government saying total infections had climbed past 30,000. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Jianchao speaks during the 13th round of Japan-China Security Dialogue at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on March 19, 2015. At the dialogue, the two sides will exchange view on both countries' security and defence politics and regional issues.    AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP)

UNITED STATES - AUGUST 01: Laura Rosenberger, director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and a senior fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, testifies during a Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee hearing in Hart Building titled "Foreign Influence on Social Media Platforms: Perspectives from Third-Party Social Media Experts," on August 1, 2018. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang speaks at a press conference in Beijing on March 7, 2019, expressing support for Huawei Technologies Co.'s decision to sue the U.S. government for banning the use of its products at federal agencies. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Alaska summit: China and US far apart on hot-button issues but agree to set up climate change group as talks end

Yang Jiechi (centre) and Wang Yi (left) led the Chinese delegation in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo: AFP

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, far right, speaks as Chinese Communist Party foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi, left, and China's State Councilor Wang Yi, second from left, listen at the opening session of US-China talks at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, March 18, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/Pool via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and national security adviser Jake Sullivan make remarks at the conclusion of talks in Anchorage on Friday. Photo: Mark Magnier

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The two sides are far apart on issues such as Hong Kong and Xinjiang, which Beijing insists is none of Washington’s business
But they have agreed to work together on issues such as climate change and regional stability



The two sides are far apart on issues such as Hong Kong and Xinjiang, which Beijing insists is none of Washington’s business
