The heads of US and Chinese diplomacy, Antony Blinken and Wang Yi, met in New York this Friday (23), amid bilateral tensions over Taiwan.
The heads of US and Chinese diplomacy, Antony Blinken and Wang Yi, met in New York this Friday (23), amid bilateral tensions over Taiwan.
Blinken and Yi shook hands and greeted on camera before starting a meeting on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Minister Antony Blinken “emphasized that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is critical to regional and global security and prosperity.”
This is their first meeting to renew tensions between the two great powers, where they expressed their willingness to resume bilateral dialogue in Bali last July.
US President Joe Biden said in an interview on Sunday that he is ready for military action if Beijing attacks Taiwan. Yesterday (22), the Chinese chancellor said she met with former Secretary of State John Kerry, a US climate envoy, in New York, despite Beijing’s suspension of co-operation with Washington on the issue in retaliation for Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Shortly before his meeting with Wang Yi, Blinken met with colleagues from the Quad, a group made up of Australia, Japan, and India that China believes was created to isolate him.
China criticizes the US
Blinken said at the time, “Our four countries know very well the important challenges they face… and this requires us to work together more than ever before.” said. In a speech on Thursday, Wang expressed Beijing’s dismay at US support for the island of Taiwan.
“The Taiwan issue is becoming the riskiest point of tension in US-China relations. It can ruin bilateral relations if mismanaged,” he warned. “Just as the United States does not allow an exit from Hawaii, China has the right to defend the country’s unity,” he said.
Wang also stated that both countries want the bilateral relationship to “work” without confrontation, noting that Washington is playing on several fronts at once. Friday’s talks could kick off a possible first meeting between Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Bali, possibly on the sidelines of a G20 summit in November.
The US Congress is a strong advocate of deepening ties with Taiwan. A bill providing the first direct U.S. military aid to the Asian island has recently made a major leap in the Senate.
(with information from AFP)
source: Noticias
