Last week, China and the US met for a summit in Anchorage, Alaska to discuss various topics, climate change being the main discussion. However, just by the opening statements, the atmosphere was tense and harsh words were shared between officials criticizing issues within each nation. This summit was an important event for Biden’s team, as it was there that they showed what kind of approach they would be taking regarding relations with China, which many had been speculating about months prior.
What happened at the summit…?
US and Chinese officials gathered to discuss issues such as climate change and the situation in North Korea and Iran and other countries of interest. However, the situation went askew after the American’s opening statements, and the Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi targeted ongoing issues in the US such as racism, as well as labeling the US democracy as “flawed” in a 16-minute-long opening speech. The US also openly criticized China over human rights issues such as the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang as well as the ongoing situation in Hong Kong.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the media that they were planning on raising the topic concerning the issues in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan to China’s top officials at the summit, however when they did, they were met with a “defensive response” according to Blinken. The opening tension garnered the attention of the media, shocking many with the direct verbal attack from both sides. Fortunately, the remainder of the meeting was “direct, frank, and constructive” according to Yang Jiechi.
The summit has set the tone for future US-China relations…
Biden has expressed that he is “proud” of Blinken and the officials at the summit, this is since this meeting made it known what kind of approach the Biden administration would take regarding China. For months people had been debating what kind of approach Biden would be taking with China, and after the summit last week it is clear to see that Biden’s team intends to continue Trump’s hard approach, making it known that Biden’s stance has shifted from when he was Vice President.
It has been suggested by Stephanie Segal from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think-tank that China could be dealing with an even harder approach from Biden than from Trump. This is because, “The Biden administration has elevated human rights as a priority,” and is homing in on what is happening in Xinjiang and Taiwan. Victor Gao, a former Chinese diplomat stated that Sino-US relations had been “poisoned” by Trump, as relations have worsened considerably over the past few years, the trade war between the two is one of the most notable results of their worsening relationship.
What came from the summit in the end…?
Beijing released a statement after the summit on how both the US and China will be stepping up together co-operatively to fight climate change in the future. The two were able to get into discussions surrounding mutual areas of interest such as North Korea, Iran, and more about economics and trade. However, the main impact of this summit is the tone it has set for ongoing US-China relations.
Some are happy that the US took a hard-headed approach, such as Lindsay Gorman at the German Marshall Fund think-tank as she believes that “China has succeeded by sweeping issues like human rights abuses in Xinjiang and the crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong under the rug.” However, with Beijing’s “defensive response” to these issues at the summit and Biden’s focus on human rights as a priority, more tension in the future is almost a certainty.
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