Blinken Chides Beijing’s ‘Escalating Actions’ at Sea, Concerned over Taiwan
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Beijing’s “escalating and unlawful actions” in the South China Sea at a summit on Saturday, where his Russian counterpart said Washington has stoked anxiety in its plan for a nuclear deterrence with ally Seoul for the Korean peninsula.
Blinken singled out China over its coast guard’s hostile actions against US defense treaty ally the Philippines in the South China Sea, but also lauded the two countries for their diplomacy after Manila completed a resupply mission earlier on Saturday to troops at a disputed shoal, unimpeded by China.
Blinken was attending the security-focused ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday alongside diplomats of major powers including Russia, India, China, Australia, Japan and the EU, which included discussions on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and tension in the South China Sea.
The Philippines’ small troop presence on a grounded former US navy ship at the second Thomas Shoal has for years angered China, which has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines over its resupply missions, causing regional concern about an escalation that could potentially lead to US intervention.
The two sides this week reached an arrangement over how to conduct those missions.
Blinken held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the gathering, in their sixth meeting since June 2023, when Blinken’s visit to Beijing marked an improvement in strained ties between the world’s two biggest economies.
They agreed to continue progress on military-to-military ties, the official said, adding Blinken also discussed Beijing’s support for Russia’s defence industrial base and warned of further US action against Chinese firms, but received no commitment from Wang.
China’s foreign ministry had no immediate statement on the meeting.
