Live
Audio Only
Senior officials from China arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday for the first meeting they will hold with officials of the United States' incumbent Government amid a tense environment due to the resumption of coercive sanctions.
Local media reported that Yang Jiechi, director of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and the rest of the delegation are already at the hotel where the meeting will take place.
Both leaders will represent China at the meeting, while the United States will be represented by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
RELATED:
China Confirms First High-Level Meeting with Biden Government
The two-day meeting is regarded as the first step in the necessary reconciliation process between China and the United States, after a long period of confrontations to the point of almost starting a New Cold War.
Similar to recent years, it has been preceded by renewed tensions and now by the imposition of US sanctions on 24 Chinese legislators on the grounds that they "contributed to reducing the high degree of autonomy" in Hong Kong by reforming its electoral system.
US Sanctions 24 Chinese and Hong Kong Officials Ahead of Talks
— Antiwar.com (@Antiwarcom) March 18, 2021
Blinken and Sullivan to meet with China's top two diplomats in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday #China #HongKong #sanctionshttps://t.co/m1gOzCtYev pic.twitter.com/VnnE3jt5uS
Apart from reciprocating these measures, Beijing rejected Blinken's recent statements against it and demanded that he stop meddling in issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, the South China Sea, and the islands in dispute with Japan.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian has warned the White House that alliances and pressures will be useless since China will not yield 'an iota' in its determination to protect its development interests, security, and national sovereignty.
Newsletter
