New Delhi: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said, that China is acting aggressively and repressively, citing its actions in the East and South China Seas where Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan and other Asian nations.
Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are on a four-day visit to Japan and South Korea.
This is the first overseas trip of the two senior most US officials after President Joe Biden took oath in January. China’s extensive territorial claims in the East and South China Seas have become a priority issue in an increasingly tense Sino-US relationship.
Blinken said China acting “very repressively at home and aggressively abroad, including on Taiwan and Hong-Kong issues.”
“Japan has a real interest in what happens with regard to Taiwan and Taiwan’s Straits and we spent some time comparing notes on that,” Blinken told the media.
Blinken and Austin were set to leave for Seoul to hold “2+2” talks with South Korean counterparts until Thursday.
Indian experts believe that a new challenge is emerging for China due to improved bilateral relations between New Delhi and Washington, and also due to the Quad, which includes Australia and Japan as well.
(Vinayak)