The United States and China clashed during the first high-level, in-person meeting of the Biden administration held in Anchorage, Alaska.
The meeting kicked off with senior American diplomats accusing China of threatening world stability and Chinese officials saying the US is a human rights hypocrite because of its mistreatment of its African American citizens. Ties between Washington and Beijing particularly soured under former US president Donald Trump, who clashed with China on trade, technology, and regional security, among other things.
President Joe Bidens administration has generally backed the tougher approach initiated by Trump. Biden has described China as Washington's "most serious competitor," saying the US would continue to confront what he has called China's "attack on human rights, intellectual property and global governance. "Beijing has rejected those charges, and repeatedly said that the US must stop interfering in its internal affairs.