US Confirms Plans for High-Level Meeting With Chinese Officials in Alaska

The State Department announced on Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet with China’s top diplomats in Alaska next week.

Blinken and Sullivan will meet with Yang Jiechi, the Communist Party official in charge of foreign affairs, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The announcement confirms a report from The South China Morning Post that said the US and China were discussing setting up high-level talks in a bid to reset relations.

The meeting will be held in Anchorage, Alaska. The city was picked because it represents a halfway point between Washington and Beijing.

Since President Biden came into office, Chinese officials have been calling for better relations with the US since the Trump administration’s policies sank the US-China relations to their lowest point in decades. But Biden Administration officials have had nothing but harsh words for Beijing and seem poised to continue Trump’s hardline policies.

Last week, Blinken labeled China as the “biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century.” He said the “challenge” posed by Beijing is different than any other nation because it threatens the US-led “international system.” Blinken has previously said that President Trump was right to take a “tougher” approach to China.

News of the talks comes as President Biden is set to hold a virtual summit with leaders from India, Japan, and Australia. It will be the first time talks are held between the heads of state of the four-member group known as the Quad. The Quad is seen as a possible foundation for an anti-China military alliance in Asia. Boosting cooperation with the Quad will likely be a central part of Biden’s strategy to confront Beijing.