Biden: "Proud of Blinken Standing Up to China" ... US-China Talks Conclude (Summary)

1 Night 2 Days Summit Ends Without Joint Statement

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Following the intense exchanges the day before, the resumed high-level talks between the United States and China ended without a joint statement as expected. President Joe Biden praised Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who stood up to China the day before, saying he was "proud."

The United States and China concluded the two-day high-level talks held in Alaska on the 19th (local time).

On the U.S. side, Secretary of State Tony Blinken and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and on the Chinese side, Politburo member Yang Jiechi, responsible for foreign affairs of the Communist Party, and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held three 2+2 meetings over two days.

After the talks, Advisor Sullivan said, "We expected tough and frank conversations on a wide range of issues, and that is exactly what we did."

Secretary Blinken said, "I wanted to convey concerns about China’s actions shared with our allies and present the United States’ policies, principles, and worldview, and that is what we did in this meeting."

Secretary Blinken also reported that they had very candid discussions on points of conflict between the U.S. and China such as Hong Kong, Xinjiang, cyberspace, as well as a broad agenda including North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, and climate change.

Politburo member Yang Jiechi said after the talks, "We had frank, constructive, and beneficial conversations," but added, "Of course, there are still differences." He stated, "Both sides must follow a 'no-conflict' policy to guide our course toward a healthy and stable trajectory in the future."

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China made it clear to the U.S. side that sovereignty is a matter of principle and that China’s determination to defend it should not be underestimated.

On the day, before departing for Atlanta, President Biden told reporters about the talks, "I am proud of Secretary Blinken." This was an evaluation that Secretary Blinken responded well to China’s 'power play.'

According to the White House press pool, White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said, "The U.S. delegation was committed to presenting principles, interests, and values that invigorate engagement with China."

She assessed the previous day’s incident as an inadvertent action by the Chinese side, saying, "We know that exaggerated diplomatic presentations are often aimed at domestic audiences."

Originally, the opening remarks open to the press during this meeting were promised to be two minutes each, but the Chinese side spoke for a long time and the U.S. side responded, resulting in a heated exchange that lasted over an hour.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.