US State Secy Blinken reveals White House's stance on China; 'Not looking for Cold War'

American Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Thursday, asserted that as Putin’s war on Ukraine continues to grab headlines, it is China that poses a “long-term challenge to international order.” The top American official spoke at George Washington University on Thursday, wherein he asserted that Beijing had both the “intent and power” to reshape the current world order. His remarks came days after the country’s president Joe Biden along with QUAD leader deliberated upon the ways to mitigate Beijing’s threat in the Indo-Pacific region.

Blinken said, “China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the int'l order & increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military&technological power to do it. Beijing’s vision would move us away from universal values that sustained so much of the world’s progress over the past 75 yrs.” 

The State Secretary also spoke about the Biden administration’s stance on the issues regarding the sovereignty of Taiwan. “We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We do not support Taiwan's independence and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means,” Blinken said. Stopping short of revealing details, he said that Washinton will continue to “uphold its commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act” which would assist the autonomous island in maintaining a “sufficient self-defence capability.”

He added that the US will continue to expand cooperation with Taiwan on its many shared interests and values as well as “support its meaningful participation in the international community, deepen economic ties consistent with our One China Policy.” Talking about the administration's stance on the war, he said that it does not want a cold war with Beijing. 

US-China conflict 

While the US and China have been clashing on various issues for long, their relationship hit rock bottom during the Trump era. The former US president publicly accused China of creating the coronavirus infection and spreading it across the globe. In recent times, both sides have been trading barbs over the disputed region of Taiwan, trade and economy as well as an increasing American maritime presence in the South China Sea. In the most recent development, US President Joe Biden said that the US would defend Taiwan militarily if China attacked-a statement which the White House walked back afterward.

(Image: AP)