End of secretary of state Antony Blinken’s three-day visit marks upsurge in military activity after period of relative calm
Before Blinken’s, US officials had pointed to a period of relative calm in the Taiwan strait over the past few months, after years of aggressive Chinese military manoeuvres and threats, as a factor in improving US-Chinese relations since Joe Biden held a summit meeting with Xi in November.
In his public remarks, Xi told Blinken: “The two countries should help each other succeed rather than hurt each other, seek common ground and reserve differences rather than engage in vicious competition.” Beijing has often used aggressive military manoeuvres to signal its displeasure at any moves in Washington it sees as diverging from the US’s established “one China” policy of discouraging Taiwanese moves towards separatism. A 2022 visit toled to months of Chinese military manoeuvres in the Taiwan strait.
Washington had been braced for China to ratchet up its activity in the strait, particularly with the approaching inauguration of a new Taiwanese president,, on 20 May. Beijing portrays Lai as a dangerous separatist and has refused to hold talks with him. Much of Blinken’s interaction with the Chinese leadership during his visit was taken up by a mutual airing of grievances. The secretary of state told CNN in an interview just before leaving Beijing that the USof attempts by Beijing to “influence and arguably interfere” in this year’s US elections.
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