Blinken and Wang discuss US-China relations, Taiwan

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his country's increasing concerns about Beijing's growing assertiveness to his Chinese counterpart on Saturday.

Blinken held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers meetings in Laos. 

"The United States will continue to take necessary actions to safeguard our interests and values, and those of our allies and partners, including on human rights," Blinken told Wang, according to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

It was their sixth meeting since last year and despite the constant contact the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, "the US has not stopped its containment and suppression of China and has even further intensified it." 

Blinken also raised "US concerns about provocative actions" by China, including a simulated blockade of Taiwan following the May inauguration of its new president Lai Ching-te.

US-China competition in the region

It is also Blinken's 18th visit to Asia since taking office more than three years ago. The frequency of travel reflects the competition between Washington and Beijing in the region.

The trip will also see him visit Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia.

The US and China remain at odds over trade, human rights and the status of the self-ruled island of Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty.

China said the risks to China-US ties "are still accumulating and the challenges are also rising" and that "it is necessary to constantly calibrate the direction, manage risks, properly handle differences, eliminate disturbance and promote cooperation."

The visit also comes two days after the foreign ministers of China and Russia met with the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, and each other, on the sidelines of the summit.

Wang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had discussed "building a new security architecture for Eurasia" and agreed to jointly "counter any attempts by extra-regional forces to interfere in Southeast Asian affairs," according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Tensions in the South China Sea

The talks come at a time of high tensions in the South China Sea, where a series of clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels have taken place on flashpoint reefs in recent months.

Tensions remain high between Manila and Beijing, despite an agreement last week to resupply Philippine troops stationed on a disputed reef.

Blinken criticized Beijing's "escalating and unlawful actions" in the South China Sea.

The US top diplomat "made clear that the United States, together with our allies and partners, will advance our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific," he said, according to the US State Department.

China claims nearly all of the waterway, despite an international tribunal ruling that its claim has no legal basis. Beijing has also insisted that the United States has "no right" to interfere in the South China Sea.

lo,dh/sri (AP, AFP, Reuters)