Leaders of China and the U.S. sit down March 18 in Alaska to discuss "deep disagreements."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who are China hardliners, will meet with tough-talking Yang Jiechi, director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Anchorage, the U.S. Department of State said.
No significant results are expected. The White House said it would tackle "deep disagreements." "This is not a strategic dialogue," Blinken said.
"There's no intent at this point for a series of follow-on engagements. Those engagements, if they are to follow, really have to be based on the proposition that we're seeing tangible progress and tangible outcomes on the issues of concern to us with China."
The Anchorage meeting will see the U.S. approach China from a "position of strength" and "in lockstep with our allies and partners," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
"We intend to discuss our expectations and will be frank in explaining Beijing's actions...and our concerns about challenges they pose to the security and values of the U.S. and our allies and partners," Psaki said.
"We will also talk about areas where we can cooperate, of mutual interest. We are coming to these discussions of course clear-eyed. The meeting also provides an opportunity to emphasize how the U.S will stand up for the rules-based international system and a free and open Indo-Pacific."
President Joe Biden said: "We will confront China's economic abuses."
He described China as America's "most serious competitor," and said the U.S. will resist China's "economic abuses, counter its aggressive, coercive action to push back on China's attack on human rights, intellectual property and global governance."
Yang and Wang have threatened the Biden administration if it interferes in China's internal affairs. They said China was aggrieved at the Biden administration's support for Taiwan and the ethnic minority Muslim Uyghurs.
"The U.S. should stop interfering in Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang and other issues regarding China's territorial integrity and sovereignty," said Yang at an online forum.
