Chinese Media Spin US–China Spat in Alaska as Diplomatic Win for Beijing

The Chinese delegation led by Yang Jiechi (2nd L), director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office of the Chinese Communist Party and China's state councilor and foreign minister, Wang Yi (2nd R) depart the ballroom at the conclusion of talks between the United States and China in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 19, 2021. Frederic J. Brown/Pool via Reuters

China’s state-controlled media are on the offensive after top Biden administration officials and their Chinese counterparts clashed during their first in-person talks in Alaska.

The two-day meeting, covering an array of issues that have strained relations between the two countries, got off to a rocky start on March 18, with Chinese officials reacting angrily to criticisms of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) human rights abuses and economic coercion.