US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that Washington would not leave Australia alone in the face of economic coercion from China, adding that such behavior toward its allies would hamper improvement in US-Sino relations.
Washington has repeatedly criticized what it says are Beijing’s attempts to bully neighbors with competing interests, and US President Joe Biden has sought to bolster ties with allies in the Indo-Pacific Region to counter China’s growing power.
“I reiterated that the United States will not leave Australia alone on the field, or maybe I should say alone on the pitch, in the face of economic coercion by China,” Blinken told a news briefing with visiting Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne.
Photo: Reuters
“We’ve made clear to the PRC [People’s Republic of China] how such actions targeting our closest partners and allies will hinder improvements in our own relationship with China,” Blinken said.
China has imposed a series of trade sanctions on Australian exports ranging from wine to coal as the two countries tensions have over the past few years worsened.
Successive Australian trade ministers have been unable to secure a telephone call with Chinese counterparts since diplomatic tensions worsened last year, and Beijing last week suspended all activity under a bilateral economic dialogue with Canberra.
Australia was one of the first countries to officially ban Chinese technology giant Huawei Technologies from its 5G network over security concerns and last year angered Beijing with calls for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
Payne told journalists that Australia had been clear that it wanted constructive ties with China.
“But we won’t compromise on our national security or our sovereignty, and we’ll continue to act to protect that,” she said.
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