The plan had been for both sides to make brief two-minute remarks before the media left the room, which is standard protocol for such a meeting.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stuck to the deal, speaking for a couple of minutes each. Then it was China’s turn, and diplomat Yang Jiechi launched into a monologue that lasted over 16 minutes.

Yang was clearly incensed at the US officials for raising concerns about China’s dire human rights record when it comes to Uighurs in Xinjiang and democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

He fired back, saying America could not lecture other countries given its history of racism against African Americans and overseas invasions.

“Many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the democracy of the United States,” he said.

The two sides then went back and forth, with Blinken and Sullivan even calling reporters back into the room so reporters could hear their retorts. Eventually, the doors were closed and the officials began their private negotiations.

The spat showed both US and China are trying to project strength to the rest of the world. They’re also aware that beating up on the rival nation makes for good politics at home.

A poll released by Pew Research earlier this month showed favourable views of China in the US have fallen to a historic low of 20 per cent.

Such anti-China sentiment is why Donald Trump made Biden’s supposed softness on China a central plank of his re-election pitch.

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Trump’s campaign nicknamed his rival “Beijing Biden” and painted him as “China’s puppet” in its television advertisements.

“Joe Biden won’t stand up to China,” one of the Trump campaign’s advertisements said. “He never has. He never will.”

Going toe-to-toe with their Chinese counterparts in Alaska is a useful way for Biden’s team to dispel the notion that they will go easy on Beijing.

If anything, the US and China relationship may well be even more acrimonious under Biden than his predecessor.

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Trump was surrounded by anti-China hawks but his frustrations with China revolved almost entirely around trade. He wanted to stop China from “ripping” off America economically but he had little personal interest in Beijing’s human rights violations.

By contrast, the Biden administration has a “litany” of complaints about China, including its treatment of allies such as Australia.

There’s still another day left in the Anchorage talks, meaning the two sides have time to find some areas of common ground.

But while spring may be around the corner in America, there’s no sign a thaw in the US-China relationship is coming any time soon.