U.S.-China talks in Alaska get off to a contentious start

U.S. and Chinese diplomats face off in Alaska
(Image credit: Frederic J. Brown/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

President Biden's top diplomat and national security adviser opened a meeting with their Chinese counterparts in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday, and the high-stakes talks got off to a frosty start.

In opening comments, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Chinese diplomats Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi their country was destabilizing "the rules-based order that maintains global stability" through its crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, cyberattacks on the U.S., human rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and economic coercion against Australia and other countries. "That's why they're not merely internal matters and why we feel an obligation to raise these issues here today," he said.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.