In the first U.S.-China meeting of the Biden administration, the Chinese Communist Party’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi came out swinging as they faced off with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Dispensing with diplomatic protocol, Yang and Wang lectured America against meddling in China’s “internal affairs,” telling Blinken, “You do not come from a position of strength.” Yang then told the media, “China’s development and strengthening is unstoppable.”

Not so fast, Yang.