YANG JIECHI

No breakthroughs were delivered during talks between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden, but the cordial atmosphere in which they were is the latest indication that relations between the sides may be turning the corner.

The White House says President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping will hold their much-anticipated virtual summit on Monday evening.

In a relationship as fraught as America’s and China’s, just an agreement that talks were productive was a sign of progress.

President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to hold a virtual meeting before year’s end amid rising tensions.

President Joe Biden is dispatching White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan for talks with a senior Chinese foreign policy adviser.

High-level face-to-face talks between U.S. and Chinese diplomats have highlighted sharp differences between the sides.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will travel to China on a visit that comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing soar.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Britain wants further investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that at the moment the country doesn’t believe it came from a lab.

Top U.S. and Chinese diplomats appear to have had another sharply worded exchange, with Beijing saying it told the U.S. to cease interfering in its internal affairs and accusing it of politicizing the search for the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top U.S. and Chinese diplomats appear to have had another sharply worded exchange, with Beijing saying it told the U.S. to cease interfering in its internal affairs and accusing Washington of politicizing the search for the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. Senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi and Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call Friday that revealed wide divisions in a number of contentious areas, including the curtailing of freedoms in Hong Kong and the mass detention of Muslims in the northwestern Xinjiang region. Calls for a more thorough investigation into the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 are particularly sensitive for China because of suggestions that it might have have escaped from a laboratory in the central city of Wuhan, where cases were first discovered.

Secretary of State Blinken on political repression in Hong Kong and human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Airing myriad complaints, the Biden administration took an extraordinarily tough line with China and Russia last week. Airing myriad complaints, the Biden administration took an extraordinarily tough line with China and Russia this past week. Public spats between the countries erupted as Biden characterized Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “killer” and his top national security aides excoriated China for a litany of issues. Just 24 hours later, Biden's top diplomat and national security adviser blasted Chinese officials in face-to-face talks. In taking a strong line on Russia, Biden has said the days of the U.S. “rolling over” to Putin are done.

The two countries feuded over journalist visas and consulates during the Trump administration, and climate change is seen as one area where they may be able to cooperate. AdSenior Biden administration officials held their first face-to-face meeting with their Chinese counterparts in Anchorage, Alaska, since taking office earlier this year. AdThe Xinhua report did not provide any details on the climate change working group, other than to say both countries were committed to enhancing communication and cooperation in the field. China and the U.S. both expelled a number of each other's journalists last year. In addition, Chinese journalists in the U.S. and foreign journalists working for U.S. media in China are now being granted only three-month stays, adding uncertainty to their tenure, though those stays have been generally renewed.

Blinken said the Biden administration is united with its allies in pushing back against China's increasing authoritarianism and assertiveness at home and abroad. Yang responded angrily by demanding the U.S. stop pushing its own version of democracy at a time when the United States itself has been roiled by domestic discontent. "Many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the democracy of the United States." "I'm hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we're reengaged," Blinken retorted. "Is this a decision made by the United States to try to gain some advantage in dealing with China?"

Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, led the Chinese delegation. I'm hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we're reengaged with our allies and partners. And on some regional issues, I think the problem is that the United States has exercised long jurisdiction and suppression and over stretched. The United States itself does not represent international public opinion and neither does the Western world. Whether judged by population scale or the trend of the world, the Western world does not represent the global public opinion.

AdAs they opened the talks on Thursday, Blinken said the Biden administration is united with its allies in pushing back against Chinese authoritarianism. Yang responded angrily by demanding the U.S. stop pushing its own version of democracy at a time when the United States itself has been roiled by domestic discontent. “I’m hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we're reengaged,” Blinken retorted. In response, China stepped up its rhetoric opposing U.S. interference in domestic affairs and complained directly about it. “Is this a decision made by the United States to try to gain some advantage in dealing with China?” State Councilor Wang Yi asked.

Brown | AFP | Getty ImagesBEIJING — The first high-level gathering of U.S. and Chinese officials under President Joe Biden kicked off with an exchange of insults at a pre-meeting press event in Alaska on Thursday. "I said that the United States relationship with China will be competitive where it should be, collaborative where it can be, adversarial where it must be." The United States does not have the qualification to say that it wants to speak to China from a position of strength. I'm hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we're reengaged with our allies and partners. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately have a comment.

Blinken said the Biden administration is united with its allies in pushing back against China’s increasing authoritarianism and assertiveness at home and abroad. Yang responded angrily by demanding the U.S. stop pushing its own version of democracy at a time when the United States itself has been roiled by domestic discontent. “I’m hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we're reengaged,” Blinken retorted. Just a day before the meeting, Blinken had announced new sanctions over Beijing's crackdown on pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong. “Is this a decision made by the United States to try to gain some advantage in dealing with China?"

Zhao on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, said China has protested to the United States and Japan over a joint statement it said maliciously attacked its foreign policy and seriously interfered in Chinas internal affairs. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)BEIJING – China has protested to the United States and Japan over a joint statement it said “maliciously attacked” its foreign policy and seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China was “strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed” to the statement. The China-Japan statement expressed concern over threats to Taiwan, Beijing’s human rights violations in Xinjiang, its activities in the South China Sea and “unilateral action that seeks to change the status quo” over Japan-controlled East China Sea islands that China also claims. The statement “maliciously attacked China’s foreign policy, seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs and tried to harm China’s interests," Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing.

(Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)The White House is setting low expectations ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s first face-to-face meeting with their Chinese counterparts in Anchorage, Alaska. But ahead of the meeting, a senior administration official described the talks as a chance for the two sides for “taking stock” in the relationship. “We will push back if necessary when China uses coercion or aggression to get its way,” Blinken said before departing Japan. AdThe Republican courted China on trade and took pride in forging what he saw as a strong relationship with Xi Jinping. On negotiating many of the pressing issues in the relationship, the White House is “simply not there yet," the senior administration official said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the administration foreign policy priorities on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Washington. (Ken Cedeno/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Senior U.S. and Chinese officials will meet next week in their first face-to-face talks since President Joe Biden took office to confront growing strains in the relationship between the world’s two largest economies. Ad“It’s pretty simple,” Blinken told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She added that the talks would also focus on areas, such as climate change, where the U.S. and China can cooperate. AdSince moving into the White House, however, Biden has yet to make any significant overtures to China, signaling that many of Trump's policies toward the country will continue.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the U.S. Monday to lift restrictions on trade and people-to-people contacts while ceasing what Beijing considers unwarranted interference in the areas of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING – China's top diplomat called Monday for new U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to lift restrictions on trade and people-to-people contacts while ceasing what Beijing considers unwarranted interference in the areas of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. Ad“We know that the new U.S. administration is reviewing and assessing its foreign policy," Wang told diplomats, scholars and journalists at the Lanting Forum. As is standard in Chinese foreign policy, Wang put the onus for improving relations squarely on the shoulders of the U.S. and offered no direct proposals for major breakthroughs, even while encouraging increased dialogue. Wang said China has “no intention to challenge or replace the United States" and is ready to peacefully coexist and seek common development.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a visit by U.S. President Joe Biden to the State Department in Washington, February 4, 2021. Blinken spoke with his counterpart Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi late Friday in the first conversation between senior U.S. and Chinese officials since President Joe Biden took office. The contentious call between the top diplomats in Washington and Beijing shows that relations are unlikely to improve between the world's two largest economies under the Biden administration. Tensions between the U.S. and China reached a boiling point under the Trump administration. The day before Biden was inaugurated, the Trump administration labelled the repression of Uighur Muslims in China's western Xinjiang province as genocide and crimes against humanity.

Turkey on Monday, Aug. 31, accused Greece of "piracy" and warned it will stand up to Athens' alleged efforts to militarize islands near its coast. Neighbors and NATO allies Greece and Turkey have been locked in a tense standoff in the eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey is prospecting the seabed for energy reserves in an area Greece claims as its own continental shelf. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Dendias would be delivering a letter from him to Guterres detailing what he said was Turkey's illegal activity in the region. Simulated dogfights between Greek and Turkish fighter pilots have multiplied over the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. A Turkish and a Greek frigate collided last month, reportedly causing minor damage to the Turkish frigate but no injuries.

Asked about the intelligence assessment Friday evening in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump appeared to dispute the idea that Russia was disparaging Biden. I think the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump because nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have ever, he said. But the president seemed to agree with the intelligence indicating China didnt want him reelected. Though U.S. officials allege that China has its own preference, Fridays statement did not directly accuse Beijing of election interference or taking action to prop up Biden. Instead, the statement said, China views Trump as unpredictable and does not want to see him win reelection.

Also, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged China to reveal all it knows about the coronavirus outbreak that is believed to have originated in the country. Indias total deaths reached 12,237, a rise of 334 in the past 24 hours, according to a Health Ministry statement on Thursday. South Korea reported 59 cases as infections continue to steadily rise in the greater capital area. Figures released by Statistics New Zealand capture the first week of the virus lockdown, which lasted more than two months. The theme park closed temporarily at the end of January due to the coronavirus outbreak, and is the second Disney-themed park to re-open worldwide, after Shanghai Disneyland.

The outbreak first detected at a wholesale market in the capital last week has infected at least 158 people in China's biggest resurgence since the initial outbreak was brought under control in March. The city reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, down from 31 on Wednesday. Pompeo has joined President Donald Trump in criticizing Chinas response to the outbreak, including giving credence to a theory that the virus may have emerged from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan. China is also being called on to relieve the virus' financial consequences in Africa. China opposes Australia's calls for an independent investigation into the origins of and responses to the pandemic.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell said the Chinese were not really forthcoming during Pompeo's closed-door talks on Wednesday with Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Communist Party's top foreign affairs official. The meeting was held at Honolulu's Hickam Air Force Base and coverage of it other than from official statements was not possible. China could not be described as really forthcoming in all this," Stilwell said. Pompeo also reiterated to the Chinese that Trump is prepared to let a key nuclear arms control agreement with Russia expire unless it can be renegotiated to include China. We are looking for positive engagement in high-level arms talks, Stilwell said.

WASHINGTON Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was meeting with a top Chinese official in Hawaii on Wednesday as new revelations about President Donald Trump and China rocked Washington. No reporters were allowed to travel with Pompeo and Biegun, and coverage of the event is expected to be extremely limited. The legislation, which Congress passed with little opposition, includes sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the mass surveillance and detention. In his book, Bolton writes that Trump appealed for Xi's help in getting a second term at a G-20 leaders dinner in Osaka, Japan, according to the excerpt published by the Journal. He stressed the importance of farmers and increased Chinese purchases of soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome," Bolton wrote.

WASHINGTON Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will make a brief trip to Hawaii this week for closed-door talks with a senior Chinese official, as relations between the two nations have plummeted amid numerous disputes. The State Department said Pompeo and his deputy Stephen Biegun would travel to Hawaii on Tuesday and Wednesday but offered no additional detail about his plans. People familiar with the trip said Pompeo and Biegun will meet Wednesday with a Chinese delegation led by Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Communist Partys top foreign affairs official. Washington and Beijing are at odds over trade, Chinas handling of the coronavirus pandemic, human rights, the status of Hong Kong and increasing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea. In recent months, the two sides have ramped up their hostile rhetoric and taken reciprocal steps to expel journalists and restrict diplomats ability to travel.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday pressed Chinas top diplomat on the need for full transparency and information sharing as Washington ramped up its pressure on Beijing over the coronavirus outbreak. A senior Trump administration official last week said lives could be saved globally if China allowed the United States to work directly with laboratories in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began. On Wednesday, Pompeo conveyed the U.S. position to his counterpart, Yang Jiechi, Chinas top diplomat. Pompeo also told Yang about the high importance Washington attached to Chinas facilitation of medical supply exports to meet critical demand in the United States. The United States is heavily reliant on Chinese-produced medical supplies, something that has been highlighted in the current pandemic.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, speaks as Chinese Communist Party Office of Foreign Affairs Director Yang Jiechi listens as the two countries hold a joint news conference after participating in a second diplomatic and security meeting at the U.S. Department of State, Washington, U.S., November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday stressed to Chians top diplomat the need for full transparency and information sharing to fight against the coronavirus outbreak, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. In a telephone conversation with Yang Jiechi, Pompeo talked about the high importance the Unites States attached to Chinas facilitation of medical supply exports to meet critical demand in the United States.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks to the media at the State Department in Washington, U.S., March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Yuri GripasSHANGHAI (Reuters) - Top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi has told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by telephone that attempts to smear Chinas efforts to control the coronavirus will not succeed, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday. On the call, Yang told Pompeo that China opposed and condemned U.S. politicians efforts to denigrate Chinas efforts, and said actions that harmed Chinas interests would be retaliated against, according to CCTV.