Blinken expressed “the United States’ concern about China’s recent provocative actions, including a mock blockade during the inauguration.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern over China’s “provocative actions” in Taiwan on Saturday during an “open and constructive” meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the State Department said.
The top US diplomat expressed “the United States’ concern over China’s recent provocative actions, including a simulated blockade during the inauguration” of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, the senior US official said.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up intimidation against the democratically ruled island in recent years.
After new President Lai Ching-te took office in May, China surrounded Taiwan with warships and military aircraft as part of military exercises. These exercises followed an inauguration speech that China denounced as an “admission of independence.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese diplomat Wang Yi met for an hour and 20 minutes in the afternoon, their sixth encounter in 18 months, on the sidelines of a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in the Laotian capital.
Blinken also addressed human rights issues in Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong, as well as China’s support for Russia in its war in Ukraine.
Finally, “he raised the issue of people unjustly imprisoned in China and the need to make progress on this issue,” the official said.
After Laos, the U.S. Secretary of State continues his six-country visit in Hanoi, Vietnam, to offer condolences to Vietnamese leaders following the death of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. He will then travel to Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia.
Source: Observadora
