U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with top Chinese officials next week during a stop in Anchorage.
That news was first reported by the South China Morning Post and was confirmed by Blinken Wednesday at a House Foreign Affairs Committee. Blinken said that he will be joined by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan said that having the meeting in Anchorage was the Biden administration’s nod to the strategic location of the state. He said he met with a top White House official about the summit.
“I think they wanted the first high-level meeting with the Chinese on American soil, which of course we are, but we’re also strategically located. That makes it a very natural place to meet,” he said in a phone interview Wednesday. “So from my perspective, that’s good news.”
At a House committee meeting earlier in the day Wednesday, Blinken signaled that he would be firm with China at the upcoming summit in Anchorage.
“This is an important opportunity for us to lay out in very frank terms, the many concerns that we have with Beijing’s actions and behavior that are challenging the security, the prosperity and values of the United States and our partners and allies,” he said.
Chinese officials have expressed interest in easing tensions with the U.S. after the Trump administration sanctioned Chinese tech companies and imposed trade tariffs. During its first months in office, the Biden administration has projected a tough line on Chinese government’s economic and military ambitions, as well as on its human rights abuses. But Blinken said there are areas where the two countries could find agreement.
“We’ll also explore whether there are avenues for cooperation. And we’ll talk about the competition that we have in China with China to make sure that the United States has a level playing field,” he said.
In 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping stopped in Anchorage and met with state officials, including then-Gov. Bill Walker. That sort of meeting appears unlikely during this meeting. A spokesperson for Gov. Dunleavy referred questions to the state department and said it didn’t have any additional information on the meeting. Sullivan also said it was “unlikely” that he would be present at the meetings.
The hearing will be held on Thursday, according to a statement by Sullivan.
