The US government has confirmed that Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi are flying to Alaska to meet with the US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on March 18.

As I wrote yesterday after the South China Morning News first broke this news, a meeting is likely better than no meeting, but Yang did fly to Hawaii last June to meet with then-Secretary of State Pompeo and it did not go well. Perhaps the outcome will be different with the new US administration, but I am skeptical it will be if the Chinese side is just going to come and repeat that all the problems are caused by the US side, though maybe there will be some concrete action items on climate, health and people-to-people exchanges.

The CPPCC has concluded, the NPC finishes Thursday and we will get to watch the Premier’s press conference. The last time a premier’s NPC press conference was exciting was 2012, as Bo Xilai’s downfall was unfolding.

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