MANILA, Aug 6 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused China of “irresponsible steps” on Saturday by cutting off key communication channels with Washington and said its actions in Taiwan showed a shift from prioritizing a peaceful solution to the use of force .
His comments came as Chinese aircraft and warships trained on Saturday for an attack on Taiwan, island officials said, part of a series of steps taken by Beijing following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this week. Read more
China’s retaliation in suspending bilateral processes in eight key areas, including defense, drugs, transnational crime and climate change, are moves that will punish the world, not just the United States, Blinken told a news conference in Manila.
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“They include several military-to-military channels that are vital to avoid miscommunication and avert a crisis,” he said.
“Ending climate cooperation does not punish the United States, it punishes the world, especially the developing world. We must not hold cooperation hostage on issues of global interest because of the differences between our two countries.”
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken speaks during a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Malacañang Palace in Manila, Philippines, August 6, 2022. Ezra Akayan/Pool via REUTERS
Tackling climate change is a key area of cooperation between the two superpowers and the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. Read more
Blinken said the United States had heard concerns from its allies about what he called China’s dangerous and destabilizing actions around Taiwan, but Washington would remain firm in its handling of the situation.
He said he conveyed to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a regional meeting in Cambodia that the United States is determined to maintain communication channels to prevent miscalculations, as countries around the world expect them to do.
“So let me be clear, the United States does not believe it is in the interests of Taiwan, the region, or our own national security to escalate the situation,” he said.
“We will keep our channels of communication with China open, with the intention of avoiding escalation due to misunderstanding or misunderstanding.”
He added: “Maintaining dialogue is perhaps even more important when we are in a period of heightened tension… We seek to reduce that tension.” And we think dialogue is a very important element of that.”
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Reporting by David Brunstrom; Additional reporting by Karen Lema; Written by Martin Petty; Editing by Kim Coghill
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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