Those expecting a more measured approach by the US and China to their relationship after four years of bomb-throwing diplomacy by former US president Donald Trump would have been startled by the first face-to-face meeting of top diplomats from the two nations. It was a fiery affair, with both sides more than willing to snipe at each other in front of the cameras.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began the blunt talk by stating his wish to discuss “our deep concerns with actions by China, including in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyberattacks on the United States, economic coercion toward our allies” (Australia was surely top of mind), and how these concerns threatened “global stability”.
His Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, shot back that it was hypocritical of the US to complain about China’s human rights record and accuse it of cyber espionage, given the history of racism against African Americans.
Some expert observers described it was a new low in relations between the two global economic powerhouses, while others saw it as a welcome exchange that finally put on the table the very real differences not only in trade – as Mr Trump mostly focused on – but on issues of security, technology, democracy and human rights.
In times past, America’s more aggressive stance may have given China pause for thought, but the communist state made it clear it has no intention of taking a backward step.
While such a stand-off may conjure Cold War comparisons, this is a far more complex state of affairs. The rivalry between ..
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