It%20was%20freezing%20cold%20in%20Anchorage%2C%20Alaska%2C%20with%20the%20mercury%20dipping%20several%20degrees%20below%20zero%20when%20the%20US%20and%20Chinese%20delegations%20met%20there%20on%20March%26nbsp%3B18-19%20for%20the%20first%26nbsp%3Bhigh-level%20talks%20between%20the%20two%20countries%20since%20President%20Joe%20Biden%20assumed%20office.

These%20talks%26nbsp%3Bwere%20held%26nbsp%3Bbetween%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Antony%20Blinken%20and%20National%20Security%20Adviser%20Jake%20Sullivan%20on%20the%20US%20side%20facing%20off%20with%20China%27s%20most%20senior%20foreign%20policy%20official%2C%20Yang%20Jiechi%2C%20and%20foreign%20minister%20Wang%20Yi.%26nbsp%3BNo%20one%20was%20prepared%20for%20the%20intense%20heat%20generated%26nbsp%3Bfrom%20the%20mutual%20roasting%20which%20took%20place%20at%20this%20meeting%2C%26nbsp%3Bdescribed%20by%20the%20BBC%20as%20%27an%20unusually%26nbsp%3Bundiplomatic%20sparring%20match%27.%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/boris-beware-the-ides-of-march%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EBoris%2C%20beware%20the%20Ides%20of%20March%21%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

The%20first%20session%2C%20open%26nbsp%3Bto%20the%20media%2C%20was%20marked%20by%20sharp%20exchanges%20of%20a%20sort%20rarely%20seen%20on%20such%20occasions.%20The%20acrimonious%20exchange%2C%20which%20took%20place%20in%20front%20of%20the%20world%27s%20media%2C%20went%20on%20for%20more%20than%20an%20hour.%26nbsp%3B

In%20a%20blunt%20opening%20statement%2C%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Tony%20Blinken%20said%20the%20US%20side%20would%20%22discuss%20our%20deep%20concerns%20about%20actions%20by%20China%2C%20including%20in%20Xinjiang%2C%20Hong%20Kong%2C%20Taiwan%2C%20cyber%20attacks%20on%20the%20United%20States%2C%20economic%20coercion%20of%20our%20allies%22%2C%20adding%26nbsp%3B%22each%20of%20these%20actions%20threatens%20the%20rules-based%20order%20that%20maintains%20global%20stability.%22

In%20response%2C%20Yang%20accused%20Washington%20of%20using%20its%20military%20might%20and%20financial%20supremacy%20to%20suppress%20other%20countries.%26nbsp%3B%22It%20abuses%20so-called%20notions%20of%20national%20security%20to%20obstruct%20normal%20trade%20exchanges%2C%20and%20incite%20some%20countries%20to%20attack%20China%2C%22%20he%20added.%26nbsp%3BYang%20also%20said%20human%20rights%20in%20the%20US%20were%20at%20a%20low%20point%2C%20with%20black%20Americans%20being%20%22slaughtered%22.

The%20State%20Department%20blasted%20the%20Chinese%20delegation%20for%20violating%20an%20agreed-upon%20two-minute%20time%20limit%20for%20opening%20statements%20and%20suggested%20it%20%u201Cseems%20to%20have%20arrived%20intent%20on%20grandstanding%2C%20focused%20on%20public%20theatrics%20and%20dramatics%20over%20substance.%u201D

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/finally-pakistanis-to-get-vaccinated-by-india%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinally%2C%20Pakistanis%20to%20get%20vaccinated%20by%20India%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

On%20the%20other%20hand%2C%20the%26nbsp%3BChinese%20Foreign%20Ministry%20spokesman%20Zhao%20Lijian%20said%20that%20Blinken%20and%20Sullivan%20had%20provoked%20Chinese%20officials%20into%20making%20a%20%u201Csolemn%20response%u201D%20after%20US%20officials%20made%20%u201Cgroundless%20attacks%u201D%20against%20China%2C%20adding%20%22it%26nbsp%3Bwas%20not%20the%20original%20intention%20of%20the%20Chinese%20side.%u201D%26nbsp%3B

What%20is%20one%20to%20make%20of%20this%20new%20episode%20in%20US-China%20relations%3F

It%20is%20no%20secret%20that%26nbsp%3BBeijing%20wants%26nbsp%3Bto%20reset%20ties%20after%20those%20difficult%2C%20tension-filled%20years%20of%20the%20Trump%26nbsp%3BAdministration%20which%2C%20after%20an%20initial%20phase%20of%20bonhomie%20had%26nbsp%3Badopted%20a%20confrontational%20stance%20towards%20China.%26nbsp%3BEarly%20on%2C%20the%20Biden%20administration%20had%26nbsp%3Btaken%26nbsp%3Bthe%26nbsp%3Bposition%20that%26nbsp%3Bit%20would%20be%20tough%20on%20issues%20of%20concern%2C%20but%20would%20be%20willing%20to%3Cstrong%3E%20%3C/strong%3Ework%20with%20Beijing%20on%20matters%20of%20interest.%26nbsp%3B

There%20were%26nbsp%3Bsubtle%20signs%20that%20the%20Biden%20administration%20saw%20the%20US-China%20relationship%20in%20less%20hostile%20terms%20as%20compared%20to%20the%20Trump%26nbsp%3BAdministration.%20While%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Tony%20Blinken%20described%20the%20relationship%26nbsp%3Bas%20a%20%u2018complicated%20one%u2019%2C%20containing%20a%20mix%20of%20%u2018adversarial%u2019%2C%20%u2018competitive%u2019%2C%20and%20%u2018cooperative%u2019%20dimensions%2C%26nbsp%3B%20Biden%u2019s%20special%20Climate%20Change%20envoy%20John%20Kerry%20made%20it%20clear%20that%20cooperation%20with%20China%20would%20be%20one%20his%20central%20objectives.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/indo-us-strategic-partnership-sticking-it-to-china%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EStrategic%20partnership%20with%20India%3A%20Is%20the%20US%20sticking%20it%20to%20China%3F%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

However%2C%20as%20the%20days%20rolled%20by%2C%20there%20was%20a%20perceptible%20hardening%20of%20the%20Biden%20Administration%27s%20attitude%20towards%20China.%20When%20he%20delivered%20a%20virtual%20address%20at%20the%26nbsp%3BMunich%20Security%20Conference%20on%2019th%20February%2C%20Biden%20said%20%22We%20have%20to%20push%20back%20against%20the%20Chinese%20government%u2019s%20abuses%20and%20coercion%20that%20undercut%20the%20foundations%20of%20the%20international%20economic%20system%22%2C%20adding%20%22Everyone%20must%20play%20by%20the%20same%20rules%22.%26nbsp%3B

Biden%20also%20said%20that%26nbsp%3B%u201CU.S.%20and%20European%20companies%20are%20required%20to%20publicly%20disclose%20corporate%20governance%20structures%20…%20and%20abide%20by%20rules%20to%20deter%20corruption%20and%20monopolistic%20practices.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3BChinese%20companies%20should%20be%20held%20to%20the%20same%20standard%2C%26nbsp%3B%22%20adding%26nbsp%3B%u201CWe%20must%20stand%20up%20for%20the%20democratic%20values%20that%20make%20it%20possible%20to%20accomplish%20any%20of%20this%2C%20pushing%20back%20against%20those%20who%20would%20monopolize%20and%20normalize%20repression.%u201D%26nbsp%3B

Thus%2C%20the%20Biden%20Administration%20has%20slowly%20become%20more%20and%20more%20forthright%20in%20being%20publicly%20critical%20of%20Beijing.%26nbsp%3BIt%20seems%20that%20the%20Chinese%20knew%20what%20to%20expect%20in%20Anchorage%20and%20had%20thus%20come%20prepared%20to%20hit%20back.%20They%20were%20particularly%20angry%20that%20Washington%20had%20imposed%20sanctions%20on%20them%20the%20day%20before%20the%20talks%20over%20a%20crackdown%20on%20pro-democracy%20advocates%20in%20Hong%20Kong.%26nbsp%3B

However%2C%20despite%20the%20harsh%26nbsp%3Bwords%20exchanged%20during%20the%20public%20session%2C%20it%20has%20been%20reported%20that%20the%20private%20discussions%20that%20followed%20in%20Alaska%20were%20substantive%20and%20serious.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/the-freedom-house-report-on-india-take-it-with-a-bucket-of-salt%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe%20Freedom%20House%20Report%20on%20India%3A%20Take%20it%20with%20a%20pinch%20of%20salt%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

There%20is%20a%26nbsp%3Blot%20that%20China%20and%20the%20US%20disagree%20about.%26nbsp%3BTrade%20is%20one%20such%20issue.%20The%20US%20accuses%20China%20of%20unfair%20practices%2C%20such%20as%20subsidising%20industries%2C%20stealing%20intellectual%20property%2C%20keeping%20its%20currency%20low%20and%20putting%20up%20barriers%3Cstrong%3E%20%3C/strong%3Eto%20trade.%20On%26nbsp%3Bthe%20other%20hand%2C%20China%20wants%20the%20huge%20trade%20tariffs%20introduced%20by%20the%20Trump%20administration%20on%20Chinese%20goods%20to%20be%20eliminated.%20It%20also%20accuses%20the%20US%20of%20%22suppressing%22%20successful%20Chinese%20tech%20companies%2C%20such%20as%20Huawei.

Another%20major%20area%20of%20disagreement%20relates%20to%20human%20rights%20and%20democracy.%20The%20US%20accuses%20China%20of%20genocide%20against%20the%20Uighur%20population%20in%20the%20province%20of%20Xinjiang%20and%20trampling%20on%20democratic%20rights%20in%20Hong%20Kong%20with%20a%20recently%20introduced%20security%20law.%20On%20its%20part%2C%26nbsp%3BChina%20calls%20on%20the%20US%20to%20stop%20interfering%20in%20what%20it%20considers%20its%20internal%20affairs%20and%20accuses%20the%20US%20of%20tarnishing%20the%20image%20of%20the%20ruling%20Communist%20Party.

Above%20all%2C%20there%20is%20the%20issue%20of%20China%27s%20territorial%20expansionism%2C%20as%20evidenced%20by%20its%20stand-off%20with%20India%20and%20its%20assertiveness%20in%20the%20South%20China%20Sea.

The%20acrimony%20witnessed%20at%20the%20opening%20session%20remains%20the%20biggest%20takeaway%20from%20the%20Alaska%20meeting.%26nbsp%3BTherefore%2C%20the%20outlook%20for%20US-China%20trade%20relations%20is%20that%20they%20are%20likely%20to%20remain%20highly%20challenged.%26nbsp%3BHowever%2C%26nbsp%3Bthe%20very%20fact%20that%20the%20talks%20were%20held%20indicates%20that%20both%20sides%20recognise%20that%20the%20future%20course%20of%20the%20relationship%20depends%20upon%26nbsp%3Bwhether%20or%20not%20they%20can%20find%20pragmatic%20ways%20of%20cooperation.

%26nbsp%3B

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23AntonyBlinken%22%20data-user-id%3D%2221iNDXopf879%22%20href%3D%22/topic/antonyblinken%22%3E%23AntonyBlinken%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23UnitedStates%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Lgr3hTOPJ0yv%22%20href%3D%22/topic/unitedstates%22%3E%23UnitedStates%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23China%22%20data-user-id%3D%22gtTvlJMpH5eQ%22%20href%3D%22/topic/china%22%3E%23China%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23JoeBiden%22%20data-user-id%3D%22tLOXw4T5mTfp%22%20href%3D%22/topic/joebiden%22%3E%23JoeBiden%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23XiJinping%22%20data-user-id%3D%22MRwnxwPLPJrH%22%20href%3D%22/topic/xijinping%22%3E%23XiJinping%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23USChinaTies%22%20data-user-id%3D%22JAyGdeTBJElG%22%20href%3D%22/topic/uschinaties%22%3E%23USChinaTies%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23World%22%20data-user-id%3D%22iEhRQcab92b8%22%20href%3D%22/topic/world%22%3E%23World%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B