U.S. Cautions China Meeting Unlikely to Yield Breakthrough

Cyber, human rights issues to be raised, officials say
Blinken, Sullivan to meet Chinese counterparts after Asia trip

WATCH: The White House concedes the upcoming face-to-face talks with China in Alaska could be “difficult” as the U.S. seeks to raise issues with human rights, Taiwan and technology.(Source: Bloomberg)

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By Jenny Leonard

March 16, 2021 at 9:06 PM UTC

Updated on

March 17, 2021 at 3:09 PM UTC

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Senior U.S. officials sought to set a low bar on expectations for the Biden administration’s first face-to-face meeting with Chinese officials later this week, saying it will be more about discussing priorities -- and differences -- than trying to craft agreements.

The meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, will be “an opportunity for us to very directly, face-to-face, share with our Chinese counterparts the concerns that the United States has, that our allies and partners have about some of the things that China is doing,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday in an interview in Tokyo with TV Asahi. “And I suspect it’ll be an opportunity for China to share whatever concerns it has about us.”