China to ask Biden administration to lift Trump policies: report

Officials from Beijing are planning to ask their U.S. counterparts during a face-to-face meeting in Alaska on Thursday to lift former President Trump’s policies and sanctions that targeted Chinese companies and individuals, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Unidentified sources told the Journal that talks will include restrictions on Chinese companies Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International, curtailed visas for party officials in China, restrictions on Chinese students and journalists and the closure of a Chinese Consulate in Houston. 

Chinese officials also reportedly want President Biden to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in April during the virtual global conference that tackles climate change issues.

The meeting on Thursday will be between Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser; Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi.

Biden officials, meanwhile, are expected to focus on Chinese policies such as actions in the South China Sea and human rights issues. 

Biden officials described the meeting as a “one-off” meeting during which they will also try to discuss issues of agreement such as climate change. 

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

Just before the meeting, Blinken announced late Tuesday that the U.S. was sanctioning 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials over an overhaul of election laws in Hong Kong, accusing Beijing of an effort to “unilaterally undermine” its electoral system.

“The relationship with China is a very complex one: It has adversarial aspects; it has competitive aspects; it has cooperative aspects. But the common denominator in dealing with each of those is to make sure we’re approaching China from a position of strength, and that strength starts with our alliance, with our solidarity, because it’s really a unique asset that we have and China doesn’t – the alliance, the cooperation among like-minded countries,” Blinken told Japanese broadcasting network Nippon TV earlier during his overseas trip.

“And when we’re working together, when we’re acting together, when we’re making clear our concerns together, that carries a much heavier weight than any one of our countries acting alone,” Blinken said.

–Updated at 7:55 a.m.