US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged China to stop “aggressive actions” in the Indo-Pacific.
Jakarta capital:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called on China to stop “aggressive actions” in the Indo-Pacific, speaking during a visit to the region, as Washington seeks to strengthen its alliance against Beijing .
The administration of President Joe Biden is trying to re-establish ties and reassert its influence in Asia after the turmoil and unpredictability of the Donald Trump era.
Blinken’s comments came in Indonesia, the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour, the latest visit to the region by a senior US official in recent months.
In a speech outlining the US approach to the Indo-Pacific, Mr Blinken said Washington would work with allies and partners to “defend the rules-based order” and other countries. should have the right to “choose one’s own path”.
“That is why there is so much concern – from Northeast Asia to Southeast Asia and from the Mekong River to the Pacific Islands – about Beijing’s aggressive actions.
“The claim to the open seas is their own. Distorting the open market through subsidies to its state-owned companies. Denying exports or withdrawing transactions to countries whose policies are not This country does not agree.”
“Countries in the region want this behavior to change – so do we,” he said, in a speech at the University of Indonesia.
He added that Washington was “determined to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea,” adding that Beijing’s actions there threaten the movement of more than $3 trillion a year in trade. .
But Blinken also emphasized that “this is not a contest between the US-focused region or the China-focused region – the Indo-Pacific is their own region”, and said. Washington wants to avoid conflict there.
Expansion statement
China claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, with competing claims from four Southeast Asian nations as well as Taiwan.
Beijing is accused of deploying a range of military assets including surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles there, and ignoring a 2016 international court ruling declaring its historic claim to the area. with most seas is unfounded.
Blinken also said Washington wants to ensure “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”.
US-China tensions have been running high over democratic, self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its territory and has vowed to take back one day, by force if necessary.
Blinken is looking to highlight Southeast Asia’s growing importance to US foreign policy during his trip, even as his administration faces myriad other crises, from Iran to Russia. .
Countries in the region face the increasingly difficult task of trying to maintain good relations with both Beijing – an important trading partner – and Washington, vital to maintaining security. security of the region.
Russia is also trying to assert its influence in the region.
After holding talks with Mr. Blinken on Monday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a senior Russian official.
After Indonesia, Blinken went to Malaysia and Thailand.
US-China relations have deteriorated over a range of issues from cybersecurity and technological supremacy to human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Biden largely continued Trump’s hawkish stance on China, describing the Asian powerhouse as the top challenger to the United States.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)
