US to Focus on Human Rights, Competition Concerns in Meeting With China

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will use his upcoming meeting with Chinese officials to outline U.S. concerns over Chinese human rights abuses and illegal trade practices, Blinken told lawmakers March 10. The March 18 meeting in Alaska, which was announced March 10, will include National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese foreign affairs officials Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi. “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, prosperity and the values of the United States and our partners and allies,” Blinken told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Blinken said he will discuss U.S. concerns over unfair Chinese competition practices, human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region (see 2101150047), and China's lack of a “level playing field” for U.S. companies. He added that there are no plans yet for future meetings. “This is not a strategic dialogue. There's no intent at this point for a series of follow-on engagements,” he said. ‘“Those engagements, if they are to follow, really have to be based on the proposition that we're seeing tangible progress and tangible outcomes on the issues of concern to us with China.”

Blinken told lawmakers that the State Department is still reviewing a “number of steps” to take against China for its human rights abuses, including sanctions. He also said the U.S. needs to ensure it isn’t exporting to China “any products that can be used for the repression of their people,” and said the administration plans to continue to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions. “We are determined to put human rights and democracy back at the center of our foreign policy,” Blinken said, “and to make sure that we have the tools that we need to be most effective in advancing human rights and democracy.”