<span style="color: #222222;">China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi will meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan today and tomorrow in Anchorage, Alaska.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">While the Chinese government has said it hoped the two countries could "meet halfway", the White House has signaled it would likely continue the tough stance laid out by the previous administration.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">AIR Beijing Correspondent reports, the United States and China will face a new test in their troubled relations when top officials from both countries meet in Alaska.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">This will be the first meeting of senior officials from both countries since US President Joe Biden took office.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The meeting comes against the backdrop of the first Quad summit, followed by high level visits by US officials to Japan and South Korea in a show of commitment from Biden administration to its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">While US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the Alaska meeting having just come from Japan and South Korea, the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will arrive in India on Friday to discuss a range of issues including "a free, prosperous, and open Indo-Pacific.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">US side has also accused China of using "coercion and aggression" to undermine human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang and assert its claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Reacting to these series of meetings and visits, China said that it is opposed to any sort of exclusive blocks and hoped that it will not disturb regional stability.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Both the U.S. and China have played down expectations for this talk. While China characterizes the meeting as a "high-level strategic dialogue," US said it would be an opportunity "to talk to China directly and share the concerns of US and its allies."</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Looking at the statements from both the sides, the stage looks set for a tough first face-to-face meeting.  </span><br />''