At the recently concluded Anchorage bilateral meeting, the United States declared it has long-term goals for China and was not seeking short-term trade deals. The US wants democracy for China, an end to the oppression of minorities, an end of grand territorial claims and also the end of coercion of American allies.
For these issues, there are no easy fixes. China was upset by this agenda, which was for the first time brought clearly into the open. In the past, these concerns were voiced in back channels or in the newspapers, but not openly on the table at negotiations. Therefore, Anchorage sets a new pattern for an ongoing relationship. But even more important was the way the US chose to frame these discussions.
