Washington: The US is working with allies and partners to strengthen its hand against China and the recent Quad summit was probably the most important illustration in practical terms of exactly what it was trying to achieve, a Biden administration official has said on the eve of a crucial meeting with top Chinese foreign policy officials.
The relations between the US and China are at an all-time low. The two countries are currently engaged in a bitter confrontation over various issues, including trade, the communist giant's aggressive military moves in the disputed South China Sea and human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan are set to meet on Thursday with the foreign affairs chief of the ruling Communist Party of China, Yang Jiechi and Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi in Anchorage, Alaska.
“We are working actually with allies and partners to strengthen our hand. The Quad last week was probably the most important very clear illustration in practical terms of exactly what we're trying to achieve here, bringing together the four leaders in a virtual summit for the first time to actually do something together that we couldn't do individually, particularly on the vaccine distribution deliverable,” said the official.
Known as the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue,” the Quad grouping comprises the US, India, Australia and Japan. The representatives for the four-member nations have met periodically since its establishment in 2007.
US President Joe Biden on Friday opened the first Quad Leaders' Summit held virtually and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
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"This isn't just about something that is here to counter China; this is about something that's actually about doing something that enhances our leverage, enhances the quality of life in the region in meaningful ways," said the official, who briefed reporters ahead of Thursday's meeting on the condition of anonymity.
The Anchorage meeting, the official said is not the resumption of a particular dialogue mechanism or the beginning of a dialogue process.
This is very much about sitting down, getting an understanding of each other, and then taking that back and taking stock, the official said.
Blinken and Sullivan are scheduled to meet Yang Jiechi and Wang on Thursday and Friday in Anchorage, the first high-level in-person US-China meeting since Joe Biden became American President in January.
The conversations in Anchorage are very much intended as an initial discussion to understand US interests, intentions, and priorities, and frankly, to get a bit of an understanding of where the Chinese are at, the official told reporters during a conference call.
“We think it's really important that our Chinese interlocutors hear from Secretary Blinken and National Security Advisor Sullivan directly about our priorities and our intentions," the official said.