Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Sept. 21 and discussed the importance of maintaining open communication between the two countries.
Blinken emphasized the need to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, according to a statement released Sept. 23 by State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with PRC State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York City. The secretary discussed the need to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage the U.S.-PRC relationship, especially during times of tension,” Price said, according to the statement. “He emphasized that the United States is committed to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, consistent with our longstanding one-China policy."
According to the State Department statement, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is vital to the security and prosperity of the region and the world. It also noted Blinken "reiterated the United States’ condemnation of Russia’s war against Ukraine and highlighted the implications if the PRC were to provide support to Moscow’s invasion of a sovereign state. He underscored that the United States remains open to cooperating with the PRC where our interests intersect.”
The meeting between Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Wang was one of the few sessions Blinken attended following the recent death of his father Donald Blinken, AP News reported Sept 23.
The meeting between Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Wang comes during a period of rising tensions between the U.S. and PRC, particularly in regard to Taiwan. Last week, President Joe Biden made a statement that the U.S. would defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack, AP News reported. Additionally, tensions regarding Taiwan were fueled partially by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional visit to Taipei.
