Spokesperson on US officials’ accusation of China on being “tough“

Zhao Lijian: Since the beginning of 2021, the presidents of China and the US had two phone calls, and the two sides had a dialogue in Anchorage and a meeting in Tianjin. Director Yang Jiechi and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had multiple phone calls with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Vice Premier Liu He spoke with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Trade Representative Katherine Tai. The US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry visited China twice. In addition, people responsible for various departments and sectors also maintain communication and contact. Both publicly and privately, the US side said such dialogue and communication is candid, beneficial and constructive. In the talks, China has elaborated on its position. The “two lists“ and “three bottom lines“, among others, are about the fundamental and substantive issues in China-US relations, which we expect serious treatment and earnest response from the US. However, we have not seen substantiv