US-China talks: Alaska clashes may be a sign of Beijing’s low short-term expectations

The public barbs exchanged between senior Chinese and US officials over Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan may suggest that Beijing is not pushing hard for further top-level meetings, according to Chinese analysts and sources. The fact that the two sides were able to agree to set up a bilateral working group on climate change could pave the way for broader cooperation in the future, but observers believe the chances of a face-to-face meeting between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in the near future are slim.

Jia Qingguo, an international relations professor at Peking University, said a meeting between the two presidents was unlikely for now because both sides need more time to reflect on last week’s meeting in Alaska between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China’s foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi.

“At the moment, there is little trust between China and the US … climate change is one of the areas where the two counties could work together because both leaders are very concerned about it,” Jia said.

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