Global Courant 2023-06-01 01:45:21
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday expressed “regret” that China rejected a possible meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu.
During a press conference in Sweden, Blinken reiterated the importance of maintaining regular, open lines of communication with Beijing.
“The most dangerous thing is not to communicate,” said the US Secretary of State.
Media reported on Monday that China has rejected a request by the United States for a meeting of defense chiefs during the proceedings of an annual security forum in Singapore this weekend, a fresh signal of tensions between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday that a Chinese warplane conducted an “unnecessarily aggressive” maneuver near a US military aircraft flying over the South China Sea in international airspace. The incident further increased tensions between Washington and Beijing.
“The Chinese pilot took dangerous actions by getting very, very close to the plane,” Mr. Blinken said, adding that there have been a number of such actions that Beijing has taken, not only against the United States, but also in other countries.
Relations between China and the United States have been tense, with friction over everything from Taiwan, problems with respect for human rights in China, to Beijing’s military activity in the South China Sea./ VOA
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Blinken: Too bad Beijing refused a meeting
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