US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday talked extensively with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) about Taiwan and raised concerns about Beijing’s recent “provocative actions,” a senior US Department of State official said.
Those actions included a simulated blockade during the inauguration of President William Lai (賴清德), the official said, adding that Blinken and Wang agreed to keep making progress on their countries’ military-to-military ties.
“In every discussion, Taiwan is the issue that they care most about. They see it as ... an internal China issue, so he [Wang] always has a fair bit to say about Taiwan, as they always have a fair bit to say publicly,” the official said.
Photo: AFP
The two talked for 1 hour, 20 minutes on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Laos, in their sixth meeting since June last year, when Blinken visited Beijing in a significant sign of improvement in strained relations between the world’s two biggest economies.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no immediate statement on the latest meeting.
Blinken conveyed to Wang that US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, both believed in the importance of stability in the US-China relationship, and that a rules-based order must be upheld, the official added.
Blinken also discussed China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base, but received no commitment from Wang, the official said.
“The secretary raised concerns and did say again that we’ve taken actions, and we’ll continue to take them if we don’t see appropriate actions on your side,” the official said.
Blinken also raised with Wang US concerns over human rights in Hong Kong and Tibet, and stressed the need for more progress from Beijing on countering narcotics including fentanyl precursors coming out of China.
Blinken’s stop in Laos is part of a multination Asia visit aimed at reinforcing regional ties in the face of an increasingly assertive Beijing.
ASEAN foreign ministers stressed the importance of “security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea,” they said in a joint communique issued yesterday.
Some ministers had expressed concern over “serious incidents in the area ... which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions,” it said, without giving details.
The communique also expressed the bloc’s “deep concern over the escalation of conflicts” in member-state Myanmar, which has been ravaged by violence since the military seized power in 2021, sparking renewed fighting with established ethnic minority armed groups and dozens of newer “People’s Defence Forces.”
Additional reporting by AFP
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS