Blinken condemns Beijing’s ‘escalating actions’ at sea, worries about Taiwan

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken criticized Beijing’s “escalating and illegal actions” in the South China Sea at a summit on Saturday, while his Russian counterpart said Washington had fueled concern with its plan for a nuclear deterrent with an ally Seoul for the Korean Peninsula.

Blinken singled out China for hostile actions by its coast guard against the Philippines allied with the US defense treaty in the South China Sea.

But he also praised the two countries for their diplomacy after the conclusion of Manila supply shipment earlier saturday to troops in a contested herd, unhindered by china.

Blinken participated in the regional security-focused ASEAN Forum alongside diplomats from major powers including Russia, India, China, Australia, Japan and the EU, which included discussions on the conflicts in Gauze and UkraineNorth Korea’s nuclear ambitions and tensions in the South China Sea.

The presence of small Philippine troops aboard a decommissioned former US navy ship at the second Thomas Shoal has angered China for years. Countries have been involved in repeated disputesprompting regional concern about an escalation that could potentially lead to US intervention.

The two sides this week arrived a deal on how to conduct these missions.

“We are pleased to note today’s successful refueling of the second Thomas herd,” Blinken told foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is hosting the meetings in Laos.

“We applaud that and hope and expect to see that continue moving forward.”

Blinken held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the gathering, their sixth meeting since June 2023, when Blinken’s visit to Beijing signaled an improvement in strained ties between the world’s two largest economies.

Blinken discussed Taiwan with Wang and concerns over recent “provocative actions” by Beijing, including a mock blockade during the inauguration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, a senior US State Department official said.

They agreed to continue progress on military ties, the official said, adding that Blinken also discussed Beijing’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base and warned of further US action against Chinese companies, but received no commitment from Wang.

Wang told Blinken that although communications between China and the United States had been maintained, Washington had not stopped Beijing’s containment and repression and had even intensified it.

“Dangers facing China-US relations continue to accumulate and challenges mount, and ties are at a critical juncture of arresting their decline and achieving stability,” he said, according to a State Department statement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on the sidelines of the forum that Guidelines on the operation of US nuclear assets on the Korean Peninsula, officially aimed at establishing a comprehensive deterrence to North Korean threats, added to regional security concerns.

“So far we can’t even get an explanation of what this means, but there is no doubt that it causes additional stress,” Lavrov said, according to Russia’s state-run RIA news agency.

“They are actively normalizing the atmosphere around the Korean peninsula, militarizing their presence there and conducting exercises that are frankly aimed at being ready for military action,” he said, according to Interfax.

Blinken earlier said the United States was “working hard every day” to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza and find a path to more lasting peace and security.

His remarks followed those of Retno Marsudi, the foreign minister of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, who said the need for lasting peace was urgent.

Retno also said that international law should apply to all, a veiled reference to recent rulings by two international courts on Israeli attacks on Gaza.

“We cannot continue to close our eyes to the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza,” Retno said.

Fighting has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians in Gaza since Israel began its invasion, according to Palestinian health authorities, which do not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.

Israeli officials estimate that 14,000 fighters from militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been killed or captured, out of an estimated force of more than 25,000 at the start of the war, which began when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on 7 October. , killing 1,200 people and kidnapping another 250, according to Israeli accounts.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Myanmar’s military leaders to take a different path and end an escalating civil war, pressing the generals to honor their commitment to ASEAN peace plan.

The conflict pits Myanmar’s well-equipped military against each other loose alliance of rebel ethnic minority groups and an armed resistance movement that is gaining ground and testing the generals’ ability to govern.

The junta has largely ignored the peace effort and ASEAN has hit a wall as all sides refuse to engage in dialogue.

“We see the instability, the insecurity, the deaths, the pain caused by the conflict,” Wong told reporters.

“My message from Australia to the regime is that this is not sustainable for you or your people.”

An estimated 2.6 million people have been displaced by the fighting. The junta has been condemned for its airstrikes on civilian areas and accused of atrocities, which it has dismissed as Western disinformation.

ASEAN issued a statement on Saturday saying it was united behind its peace plan and condemned violence against civilians, calling on all sides in Myanmar to end hostilities and start dialogue.

ASEAN also welcomed unspecified practical measures to reduce tensions in the South China Sea and prevent accidents and miscalculations, while urging all concerned to stop actions that could complicate and escalate disputes.