US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) shakes hands with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the 57th meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers in Vientiane on July 27, 2024. | Photo credit: AFP
The United States on Saturday praised “open and productive” discussions between China’s foreign minister and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Laos, in which Mr Blinken raised US concerns over Beijing’s “provocative actions” around Taiwan.
Mr Blinken’s stop in Laos is part of a multi-nation Asia trip aimed at strengthening regional ties in the face of Beijing’s growing assertiveness, including in the South China Sea, and its deepening ties with Moscow.
According to a senior Foreign Ministry official, the talks, which took place during the meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), lasted for one hour and twenty minutes.
The official said Mr. Blinken raised “US concerns about provocative actions” taken by China, including the fake blockade of Taiwan after new President Lai Ching-te took office in May.
China claims the democratic island as its territory and described Mr Lai’s inaugural speech as an “affirmation of independence”.
China’s Foreign Ministry has not yet issued any statement on this meeting.
Shortly before the meeting, Blinken took aim at Beijing’s “escalating and unlawful actions” in the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines are embroiled in a territorial dispute.
Beijing claims almost the entire waterway – through which trillions of dollars’ worth of trade flows each year – even though an international court has ruled that its claim has no legal basis.
A Filipino sailor lost his thumb in the clash on June 17, when Chinese coast guard members attacked with knives, sticks and axes to thwart a Filipino navy attempt to resupply their troops.
The clashes have raised fears that the conflict could escalate because of the United States’ mutual defense treaty with Manila.
On Saturday, Manila said it had successfully resupplied troops at the Second Thomas Shoal – which has been the focus of clashes in recent months – under an agreement reached with Beijing.
On Friday, Wang called on the Philippines to honour its commitments under the agreement and not backtrack or create complications, warning that Beijing would respond firmly to any violations.
Wang also warned the Philippines against deploying US medium-range missile systems on its soil, saying it would “spark tension and confrontation in the region and trigger an arms race.”
The US military said in April it had deployed the Mid-Range Capability missile system to the northern Philippines for an annual joint military exercise.
Philippine military officials later said the system would be removed from the country.
China, Russia discuss security
Blinken arrived in Laos two days after the foreign ministers of China and Russia held a meeting with the 10-nation ASEAN group — and also met each other on the sidelines.
On Thursday, Wang met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Vientiane and discussed “the creation of a new security architecture for Eurasia,” according to Moscow’s foreign ministry.
It said the two countries also agreed to “jointly counter any attempt by extra-regional forces to interfere in Southeast Asian affairs.”
China has a strong political and economic partnership with Russia, and NATO members regard Beijing as a “key facilitator” of Moscow’s involvement in the Ukraine war.
myanmar
A joint statement issued by ASEAN on Saturday expressed “deep concern at the escalation of conflicts” in member-country Myanmar.
The country has been wracked by violence since the military seized power in 2021, triggering renewed fighting with established ethnic minority armed groups and dozens of new “People’s Defense Forces”.
ASEAN has led so far unsuccessful diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, and a five-point peace plan agreed between the military and the group is now dead.
The joint communique said the five-point consensus “remains our main point of reference for addressing the political crisis.”
Myanmar’s military has been barred from attending high-level ASEAN summits because of its coup and crackdown on dissent, a crackdown that human rights groups say may have committed war crimes.
Two senior bureaucrats represented Myanmar at the Laos talks.
A Southeast Asian diplomat told AFP earlier this week that the military’s readiness to re-engage diplomatically with ASEAN “is a sign of the military’s weakening position.”