US Criticises China's 'Irresponsible' Decisions, Blinken Says Situation In Taiwan Strait Affects Entire World

The US State Secretary deemed Beijing's decision of withdrawing cooperation with Washington as irresponsible. "Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is vital," he stressed.

US State Scretary Antony Blinked also criticised China for walking away from climate talks and said that this could have lasting consequences for "the future of the region - the future of our planet."

Source : AFP | Getty Images

New Delhi: US State Secretary Antony Blinken on Saturday asserted that China should not hold hostage cooperation on matters of global concern over its differences on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

"We should not hold hostage cooperation on matters of global concern because of differences between our two countries. Others are rightly expecting us to continue to work together on issues that matter to the lives and livelihoods of their people as well as our own," Blinken said during a press conference in Manila, Philippines.

According to a US State Department press release, the State Secretary deemed Beijing's decision of withdrawing cooperation with Washington as irresponsible: "Since their missile launches, Beijing has taken an irresponsible step of a different kind: They've shut down eight different areas where our two countries (US and China) have been able to work together."

In reference to the Chinese military drills, he noted the importance of the Taiwan Strait and stated that almost half the global container fleet, nearly 90 percent of the world's largest ships, passed through it this year. "Those include several military-to-military channels which are vital for avoiding miscommunication and avoiding crisis, but also cooperation on transnational crime and counternarcotics, which help keep people in the United States, China, and beyond safe," said Blinken.

World's Largest Carbon Emitter Now Refusing To Engage In Combatting Climate Crisis: Blinken

The US State Secretary mentioned that Beijing has also suspended all climate cooperation with the United States. "The world's largest carbon emitter is now refusing to engage in combatting the climate crisis. Suspending climate cooperation doesn't punish the United States; it punishes the world, particularly the developing world."

Speaking in Philippines, he emphasised the "ironclad commitment" to the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty while affirming that an armed attack on Philippines' armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defense commitments under that treaty.

China Engaging In Increasingly Destabilising And Potentially Dangerous Actions: Blinken

As for Taiwan, the US State Secretary mentioned that since China launched nearly a dozen ballistic missiles toward Taiwan two days ago, Washington has been hearing concerns about the destabilising and dangerous actions.

"What we’ve seen over the last few years is China engaging in increasingly destabilizing and potentially dangerous actions with regard to Taiwan, and this follows from that."

"Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is vital, not just for Taiwan but for the Philippines and many other countries. What happens in the Taiwan Strait affects the entire region. In many ways, it affects the entire world because the strait, like the South China Sea, is a critical waterway," he stressed, as per the official statement.

"China walking away from climate talks could have lasting consequences for the future of the region - the future of our planet," Blinken said as he put forth concerns over China's aggressive behavior in the South China sea.

"Our allies and partners across the region have told us in no uncertain terms that they are looking for responsible leadership right now. So let me be clear. The United States doesn't believe that it's in the interest of Taiwan, the region, or own national security to escalate this situation," he added.

As per the senior leader, Washington will keep its channels of communication with Beijing open in order to avoid escalation due to misunderstanding or miscommunication. 

"We'll stand with the Philippines, with all our allies and partners. We'll work through regional organizations like ASEAN to enable friends in the region to make their own decisions free from coercion. And we'll continue to support Taiwan and cross-strait peace and stability because we know that a free and open Indo-Pacific demands it," Blinken stated.