ANCHORAGE: The United States accused Chinese diplomatic leaders of "grandstanding," with a focus on "public theatrics and dramatics over substance" Thursday at the opening of the first high-level meeting between Washington and Beijing since US President Joe Biden's election.

A senior US official criticized Beijing as having "arrived intent on grandstanding, focused on public theatrics and dramatics over substance" at the Alaska summit.

The official said this was made clear by the top Chinese Communist Party diplomat Yang Jiechi "promptly violating protocol" with a long opening statment instead of a previously agreed upon short two-minute speech.