Yang prodded Washington, saying he hoped “the United States will do better on human rights,” and arguing that the Black Lives Matter movement, “did not just emerge over the past four years. The slaughter of African Americans has always been a problem.”

“China urges the U.S. side to fully abandon the hegemonic practice of willfully interfering in China’s internal affairs,” added Foreign Minister Wang in follow-up remarks. “This has been a longstanding issue and it should be changed. It is time for it to change. And in particular, on the 17th of March the United States escalated its so-called sanctions on China regarding Hong Kong, and the Chinese people are outraged by this gross interference in China’s internal affairs.”…

Responding to the first day’s acrimony on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing that it was the U.S. officials who first failed to “respect the timings that had been agreed upon for the relevant remarks.”

“It is the U.S. that first provoked and stirred conflict,” Zhao added, likely alluding to the new sanctions. “When the members of the Chinese delegation arrived in Alaska, not only did they experience Alaska’s frigid weather, but they also experienced the way that their U.S. hosts treat their guests.”