US, China Talks Kick Off On A Testy Tone

Diplomats Of The Two Nations Publicly Criticise Each Other Over Human Right Abuses

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US officials said the two-day summit in Alaska would continue, but accused the China delegation of violating the format for the meetings that had sought to find common ground between the countries

Washington: China clapped back strongly at the US over human rights issues on Thursday in a testy exchange that signalled growing tension between the two countries amid Washington’s deteriorating ties with Moscow. Simmering differences between the two countries spilled out in the open during the first high-level meeting between their officials in Alaska when China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi pushed back against US meddling in China’s “internal affairs” while mocking America’s domestic stability and challenging US own record on human rights.