Blinken says China’s reaction to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan ‘irresponsible’
Manila, Aug 6 (EFE).- China’s response to the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is “irresponsible”, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday.
“Suspending climate cooperation doesn’t punish the United States, it punishes the world, particularly the developing world,” Blinken said in an online news conference with his Philippine counterpart in Manila.
“We should not hold hostage cooperation on matters of global concern because of differences between our two countries,” he added.
Blinken’s comments came after China Friday stepped up its response to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan with a range of measures including the suspension of cooperation mechanisms with Washington, sanctions against Pelosi and sending warships and aircraft across the Taiwan Strait.
“What happens to the Taiwan Strait affects the entire region. In many ways it affects the entire world because the Strait, like the South China Sea, is a critical waterway,” Blinken said.
Two days after the veteran politician’s controversial trip, Beijing announced eight measures including the suspension of cooperation in areas such as judicial affairs, climate change, the repatriation of irregular migrants, criminal legal assistance, combating transnational crimes and talks on combating climate change.
It also canceled regular telephone calls between the leaders of the military commands and working meetings between the two powers’ Defense portfolios, as well as those of the Military Maritime Security Consultation Mechanism.
“Military-to-military channels are vital for avoiding miscommunication and avoiding crisis, but also cooperation on transnational crimes and counter-narcotics, which help keep people in the United States, China and beyond, safe,” Blinken said.
The cancellations also mean that there is no longer a mechanism of trust between the armed forces of the two superpowers amid heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait at levels not seen since the 1990s.
The Secretary of State added the US would continue to keep channels of communication with China open.
“We seek to deescalate tensions and we think dialogues are a very important element of that,” he said.
China, which called Pelosi’s visit a “farce” and a “deplorable betrayal”, claims sovereignty over the island and considers Taiwan a rebel province since Kuomintang nationalists withdrew there in 1949, after losing the civil war. EFE
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