WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Antony Blinken, of Japanese soil, condemned China’s widespread use of “coercion and aggression” on the international stage and warned that the US will set up backlash if necessary.
China is using coercion and aggression to systematically erode autonomy in Hong Kong, undermine democracy in Taiwan, violate human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and assert maritime claims in the South China Sea that contradict it. international law, “Blinken said at a press conference.
“We are united in the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, where countries follow the rules, work together when they can and resolve their disputes peacefully. to get, ”he added.
Blinken’s comments come a few days before he and national security adviser Jake Sullivan have high-level personal talks with Chinese representatives. Blinken and Sullivan will meet with Yang Jiechi of the People’s Republic of China, a member of the Communist Party’s highest decision-making body, and Wang Yi, the Secretary of State, in Alaska.
Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday that Beijing hopes a stronger relationship between the US and Japan will not hurt others in the region.
“We believe that cooperation and communication between Japan and the US should strengthen regional understanding and trust, be beneficial for cooperation between countries in the region, and be beneficial for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” and that it will not harm any third party or the interests of any third party, ”he said at a press conference, according to an English translation.
President Joe Biden, speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, has previously said that his approach to China would be different from that of his predecessor in that he would work more closely with allies to mount a backlash against Beijing.
“We will face China’s economic abuses,” Biden said in a speech at the State Department, describing Beijing as America’s “most serious competitor”.
“But we are also willing to work with Beijing if it is in America’s interest to do so. We will compete from a strong position by building better at home and working with our allies and partners.”
In February, Biden announced a new Defense Department task force to review the US military’s Chinese strategy.
“That is how we will meet the China challenge and ensure that the American people win the game in the future,” said Biden on his first visit as the Pentagon’s commander in chief.
The country’s top diplomat and defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday in an effort to strengthen alliances and reaffirm alliances with key US partners in the region. On Wednesday, the pair will travel to Seoul, where they plan to discuss security cooperation and challenges largely posed by China and North Korea. The joint trip of Blinken and Austin is the first trip abroad for the two under Biden.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Japanese Secretary of State Toshimitsu Motegi and Japanese Secretary of Defense Nobuo Kishi attend the 2 + 2 meeting at Iikura Guest House in Tokyo, Japan, March 16, 2021.
Kim Kyung-Hoon | Reuters
Also on Tuesday, North Korea broke its silence for the first time since Biden became president and sent an aggressive message to the United States.
“We take this opportunity to warn the new US administration that is doing its best to propagate [gun] powder scent in our country, ”said Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, referring to joint US and South Korean military exercises in the region.
“If it [the U.S.] If you want to sleep in peace for the next four years, it better refrain from causing stench on the first step, ” she added, according to an English translation.
The Biden administration has unsuccessfully tried to resume nuclear talks with North Korea.
Led by third-generation North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the retired state has conducted its most powerful nuclear test, launched its first-ever intercontinental ballistic missile and threatened to send missiles into waters near Guam’s U.S. territory.
Since 2011, Kim has launched more than 100 missiles and conducted four nuclear weapons tests, which is more than what his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, launched over a 27-year period.
He has not conducted any missile tests since Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.