US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern over Beijing’s “destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, as the two sought to keep communications open despite a deepening rivalry.
Blinken met with Wang in Laos during a trip to Asia against the backdrop of a fierce US presidential election campaign, which has renewed regional scrutiny over what the world will look like with a new administration in the White House.
The two leaders discussed bilateral, regional, and global issues, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement, adding: “The Secretary made clear that the United States, together with our allies and partners, will advance our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
In the meeting, Blinken also discussed China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base, warning that the US will take “appropriate measures” if China doesn’t end their support, according to Miller.
A statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said that Wang told Blinken the US holds “a wrong perception of China” and urged a return to a “rational and pragmatic China policy.” But the statement added that the two would keep up communication.
The first leg of Blinken’s week-long visit – which includes stops in Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia – comes amid persistent tensions between the US and China despite efforts by US President Joe Biden’s administration to stabilize rocky relations between the two.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as China’s increasingly assertive moves in the South China Sea and threats toward Taiwan, have in recent years soured the Washington-Beijing relationship.
This week the North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska in what a US defense official said was the first time aircraft from the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
China’s continued support of Russia more than two years into Moscow’s invasion has been a persistent point of tension for the US, its allies, and the Ukrainians.
When NATO leaders met this month, a joint declaration labeled Beijing a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine, citing China as giving “large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base.”
