Top US, China diplomats will hold first in-person talks under Biden admin

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will talk with top Chinese officials on Mar 18 in Alaska, the White House said on Wednesday (Mar 10) , the first high-level in-person contact between the two sparring countries beneath the Biden administration.

The meeting, occurring on Blinken's return from his first overseas trip to key US allies Japan and South Korea, should come amid what is shaping up to be always a major US diplomatic push to solidify alliances in Asia and Europe to counter China.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan will join the meeting in Anchorage with China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and State Councillor Wang Yi, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, adding that the administration would approach its relations with China "in lockstep" using its partners.

"It was vital that you us that this administration's first meeting with Chinese officials be held on American soil, and occur directly after we have met and consulted closely with partners and allies in both Asia and Europe," Psaki told a news briefing.

She said the meeting will be "an chance to address an array of issues, including ones where we've deep disagreements."

China's embassy in Washington did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

President Joe Biden's administration has focused on reviewing factors of US policies toward China, as the world's two most significant economies navigate frosty relations that sank with their lowest depths in decades during Donald Trump's presidency.

Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, held their first telephone call as leaders last month and appeared at odds of all issues, even while Xi warned that confrontation would be a "disaster" for both nations.

Testifying prior to the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Blinken signaled next week's meeting wouldn't normally be a go back to regular senior-level dialogues used under past US administrations, which have been increasingly criticized in Washington for yielding little progress on US grievances with Beijing.

"There's no intent at this time for some follow-on engagements. Those engagements, if they're to follow, need to be based on the proposition that we're seeing tangible progress and tangible outcomes on the problems of concern to us with China," Blinken said.

Blinken also said that if China insists it is not violating the human rights of Uighur Muslims in its Xinjiang region, it will provide the world usage of the area.

UN authorities and rights groups say China has detained greater than a million Uighurs and other minorities there, actions america has deemed a genocide. Beijing denies abuses, saying facilities in your community are for vocational training to counter the risk of terrorism.

The talks will observe the visit by Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Japan and South Korea in a few days, together with an online summit on Friday between Biden and the leaders of Japan, India and Australia.

That'll be the first leader-level meeting of the four-country group, referred to as the Quad, viewed as part of U.S. efforts to improve its diplomacy in Asia to balance China's growing military and monetary power.

Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the guts for Strategic and International Studies, said the timing of the meeting sends the message to Beijing that US alliances are strong.

Discussions will probably give attention to China's policies toward Hong Kong, its pressure on Taiwan, its treatment of Uighurs, and what Washington sees as monetary coercion against Australia, she said.

"If the Chinese repeat their messages within recent speeches that the US is to be blamed for the issues in the US-China relationship and then the ball is in the US court, then nothing positive should come of the meeting," Glaser said.