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Blinken assures US determined to de-escalate Taiwan Strait tensions
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IANS | 06 Aug, 2022
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday assured Philippine
officials that Washington was determined to de-escalate tensions in the
Taiwan Strait to keep the region safe and ensure unimpeded access to the
major waterway.
In a one-day visit to Manila, Blinken
met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Foreign Minister Enrique
Manalo, and other government officials, reports dpa news agency.
He also dropped by a vaccination site against Covid-19.
The
visit comes amid China's ongoing live-fire military drills in response
to US Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which have triggered
security concerns around the world.
"We always stand by our
partners," Blinken told reporters after his meetings with Marcos Jr and
Manalo. "It's important to underscore that because of what's happening
north of here, in the Taiwan Strait."
"Since China launched
nearly a dozen ballistic missiles toward Taiwan two days ago, we've been
hearing from allies and partners across the region who are deeply
concerned about the destabilizing and dangerous actions," he said.
Blinken
stressed that Washington will keep the lines of communication open with
Beijing, to avoid any miscommunication and misunderstanding, while
working with regional organisations and allies to ensure cross-strait
peace and stability.
"Our allies and partners across the region
have told us in no uncertain terms, that they are looking for
responsible leadership right now," he said.
"So let me be clear,
the US doesn't believe that it's in the interest of Taiwan, the region
or our own national security to escalate the situation."
He urged
Beijing to "focus on ... the fact that for 40 years plus, we've managed
this problem, this challenge well and we've done it in a way that's
avoided any conflict".
"I think that's the expectations that
countries ... around the region and around the world have," he added.
"They certainly expect us, the US and China, to manage our differences
responsibly and that's what we're determined to do."
In his
meeting with Marcos Jr, Blinken stressed Washington's commitment to the
two countries' joint defence agreement and told the president that the
US was looking forward to working his administration to "deepen" the
alliance with the Philippines.
"Our relationship is quite
extraordinary because it is really founded in friendship," he said.
"It's forged as well in partnership and it's strengthened by the fact
that it's an alliance as well."
"The alliance is strong and I
believe, we will all (be) stronger. We're committed to the mutual
defence treaty. We're committed to working with you on shared
challenges," he added.
Marcos Jr said recent regional and global tensions highlighted the importance of the relationship between Manila and Washington.
"I
hope that we will continue to evolve that relationship in the face of
all the changes that we have been seeing and the changes between
bilateral relations between us and the US," he said.
Marcos Jr
said he saw the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty, which commits the US and the
Philippines to come to each other's aid in the event of foreign
aggression, to be "in constant evolution".
"We can no longer isolate one part of our relationship from the other," he added.
"We are too closely tied because of the special relationship between the USand the Philippines and the history we share."
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