Talks between the U.S. and China got off to a rough start on Thursday, with both sides chiding and reprimanding each other in an unusual public display of tensions. The meeting in Anchorage, Alaska was the first high-level meeting between the two countries under the administration of President
Joe Biden, and came after more than two years of rocky relations between the two countries. What was initially meant to be a four-minute photo shoot ended up lasting more than an hour as both sides traded barbs on issues from U.S.-China relations to concerns from Washington’s allies. Reporters were told not to leave as both sides wanted to add their rebuttals.
Leading the U.S. delegation were Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security advisor Jake Sullivan. Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, led the Chinese delegation.
Here are some excerpts and highlights from the meeting.
