Manila: US Secretary of State Antony blinken Said on Saturday that China should not hold hostage talks on important global issues like the climate crisis, as Beijing has cut off contact with China. Washington In retaliation for the US House Speaker Nancy PelosicTravel Taiwan earlier this week.
Blinken spoke at an online news conference with his Philippine counterpart in Manila after meeting newly elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other top officials, as relations between Washington and Beijing fell to their worst level in years.
Pelosi’s visit to the self-governing island angered China, which claims Taiwan as its territory that would be annexed by force if necessary.
China on Thursday began military drills off Taiwan’s shores and on Friday cut off contact with the US on important issues, including military affairs and critical climate cooperation, as a punishment against Pelosi’s visit.
“We should not engage in hostage cooperation on matters of global concern because of the differences between our two countries,” Blinken said.
“Others are expecting us to continue working on issues that are important to the lives and livelihoods of their people as well as our own.”
He cited cooperation on climate change as a key area where China cut off links that “doesn’t punish the United States – it punishes the world.”
“The world’s biggest carbon emitter is now refusing to address the climate crisis,” Blinken said. He said the firing of China’s ballistic missiles into the waters around Taiwan was a dangerous and destabilizing action.
“What happens to the Taiwan Strait affects the entire region. In many ways it affects the whole world because the strait, like the South China Sea, is an important waterway,” he said, noting that the global container fleet About half of the world’s largest ships and about 90% of the world’s largest ships pass through the waterway.
China “shuts down military-to-military channels that are important to avoid miscommunication and avoid crisis, but also cooperate on international crimes and counter-narcotics, which the United States, China and its Let’s help keep people safe outside,” he said.
Despite China’s actions, Blinken said he told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday in Cambodia, where he attended the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, that the US did not want to escalate the situation.
“We want to de-escalate those tensions and we think dialogue is a very important element of that,” he said, adding that the US “will keep our channels of communication open with China with the intention of avoiding misunderstanding or miscommunication.” ”
Blinken is the highest-ranking US official to visit the Philippines since Marcos Jr. took office on June 30 after a massive election victory. In his brief meeting with Blinken, Marcos Jr. mentioned that he was surprised by the turn of events related to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week.
“It just shows – how has been the intensity of that conflict,” Marcos Jr. said based on a transcript released by Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“It shows how unstable the international diplomatic landscape is not only in the region,” he said.
Marcos Jr. praised the important relationship between Manila and Washington, which are treaty allies, and American aid to the Philippines over the years.
Blinken reiterated Washington’s commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines and to “work with you on shared challenges.”
Blinken told reporters that he also discussed with Marcos Jr. the US commitment to working with the Philippines to strengthen democracy and protect the rule of law, human rights, freedom of expression and civil society groups, “which important to our alliance.”
Describing the Philippines as “an irreplaceable friend”, he said he reiterated to the president that an armed attack on Filipino forces, public ships or aircraft in the South China Sea would “enforce America’s mutual defense commitments.”
Blinken arrived in Manila on Friday night after attending ASEAN meetings in Cambodia, where his Chinese and Russian counterparts joined him.
ASEAN foreign ministers called for “maximum restraint” as China conducted war drills around Taiwan and moved against the US, fearing it “could destabilize the region and ultimately lead to miscalculations between major powers, serious There can be confrontation, open conflict and unpredictable results.”
In Manila, Blinken was scheduled to visit a vaccination clinic and meet with groups helping to fight the coronavirus outbreak, and then visit a clean energy fair and meet with US embassy staff before flying on Saturday night .
Shortly before Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, when speculation arose that his plane might halt briefly to refuel at the former US Clark Air Force Base north of Manila, Chinese ambassador Huang Zilian said in a TV interview that He hopes that the “Philippine side will strictly adhere to” the One-China principle to ensure the solid and stable development of China-Philippines relations and intelligently handle all issues related to Taiwan.
Huang’s remarks drew sharp rebuke from opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who said, “The ambassador should not heed such policies, especially given that his country stubbornly and strongly adheres to a decision by an international arbitral court.” and ignores and violates international law in the West Philippine Sea when it is in its best interest.”
Hontivaros was referring to a 2016 arbitration decision on a Philippine complaint that invalidated China’s vast territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. He used the name Philippine for the disputed waters.
China has dismissed the decision, which was welcomed by the US and Western allies, as a sham and continues to disregard it.
Blinken spoke at an online news conference with his Philippine counterpart in Manila after meeting newly elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other top officials, as relations between Washington and Beijing fell to their worst level in years.
Pelosi’s visit to the self-governing island angered China, which claims Taiwan as its territory that would be annexed by force if necessary.
China on Thursday began military drills off Taiwan’s shores and on Friday cut off contact with the US on important issues, including military affairs and critical climate cooperation, as a punishment against Pelosi’s visit.
“We should not engage in hostage cooperation on matters of global concern because of the differences between our two countries,” Blinken said.
“Others are expecting us to continue working on issues that are important to the lives and livelihoods of their people as well as our own.”
He cited cooperation on climate change as a key area where China cut off links that “doesn’t punish the United States – it punishes the world.”
“The world’s biggest carbon emitter is now refusing to address the climate crisis,” Blinken said. He said the firing of China’s ballistic missiles into the waters around Taiwan was a dangerous and destabilizing action.
“What happens to the Taiwan Strait affects the entire region. In many ways it affects the whole world because the strait, like the South China Sea, is an important waterway,” he said, noting that the global container fleet About half of the world’s largest ships and about 90% of the world’s largest ships pass through the waterway.
China “shuts down military-to-military channels that are important to avoid miscommunication and avoid crisis, but also cooperate on international crimes and counter-narcotics, which the United States, China and its Let’s help keep people safe outside,” he said.
Despite China’s actions, Blinken said he told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday in Cambodia, where he attended the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, that the US did not want to escalate the situation.
“We want to de-escalate those tensions and we think dialogue is a very important element of that,” he said, adding that the US “will keep our channels of communication open with China with the intention of avoiding misunderstanding or miscommunication.” ”
Blinken is the highest-ranking US official to visit the Philippines since Marcos Jr. took office on June 30 after a massive election victory. In his brief meeting with Blinken, Marcos Jr. mentioned that he was surprised by the turn of events related to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week.
“It just shows – how has been the intensity of that conflict,” Marcos Jr. said based on a transcript released by Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“It shows how unstable the international diplomatic landscape is not only in the region,” he said.
Marcos Jr. praised the important relationship between Manila and Washington, which are treaty allies, and American aid to the Philippines over the years.
Blinken reiterated Washington’s commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines and to “work with you on shared challenges.”
Blinken told reporters that he also discussed with Marcos Jr. the US commitment to working with the Philippines to strengthen democracy and protect the rule of law, human rights, freedom of expression and civil society groups, “which important to our alliance.”
Describing the Philippines as “an irreplaceable friend”, he said he reiterated to the president that an armed attack on Filipino forces, public ships or aircraft in the South China Sea would “enforce America’s mutual defense commitments.”
Blinken arrived in Manila on Friday night after attending ASEAN meetings in Cambodia, where his Chinese and Russian counterparts joined him.
ASEAN foreign ministers called for “maximum restraint” as China conducted war drills around Taiwan and moved against the US, fearing it “could destabilize the region and ultimately lead to miscalculations between major powers, serious There can be confrontation, open conflict and unpredictable results.”
In Manila, Blinken was scheduled to visit a vaccination clinic and meet with groups helping to fight the coronavirus outbreak, and then visit a clean energy fair and meet with US embassy staff before flying on Saturday night .
Shortly before Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, when speculation arose that his plane might halt briefly to refuel at the former US Clark Air Force Base north of Manila, Chinese ambassador Huang Zilian said in a TV interview that He hopes that the “Philippine side will strictly adhere to” the One-China principle to ensure the solid and stable development of China-Philippines relations and intelligently handle all issues related to Taiwan.
Huang’s remarks drew sharp rebuke from opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who said, “The ambassador should not heed such policies, especially given that his country stubbornly and strongly adheres to a decision by an international arbitral court.” and ignores and violates international law in the West Philippine Sea when it is in its best interest.”
Hontivaros was referring to a 2016 arbitration decision on a Philippine complaint that invalidated China’s vast territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. He used the name Philippine for the disputed waters.
China has dismissed the decision, which was welcomed by the US and Western allies, as a sham and continues to disregard it.