"The flabbergasted Biden team was reduced to begging reporters to stay after a scheduled four-minute photo session so they could muster some sort of rebuttal to the Chinese attack. The best thing they could come up with was National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s attempt to zing China by saying “a confident country is able to look hard at its own shortcomings and constantly seek to improve” – which is just a weak sound-bite imitation of the 18-minute harangue Sullivan had just endured from his Chinese guests.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) provided an instructive comparison of the background comments made by members of the two delegations after the encounter. The Chinese took a victory lap and said they felt bad about pummeling Biden’s team, but they were overcome by righteous indignation over the rude reception they received, while the Biden official whined that the Chinese talked for too long:
Chinese state media later quoted an unnamed Chinese official – in a background briefing after the first day of talks – that China was sincere in its dialogue with the US, but the American side had overrun its opening remarks and made groundless accusations against China.
“This is not a way of hospitality, nor does it conform to diplomatic etiquette. China has responded solemnly to this,” the official said, according to state broadcaster CCTV."