Blinken hits out at China in key policy speech in Jakarta
JAKARTA (BLOOMBERG, AFP) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised China’s aggressive actions in Asia while laying out plans to more closely integrate United States allies and security partners in Asia.
During a key policy speech in Jakarta on Tuesday (Dec 14), Mr Blinken underscored US efforts to deliver high-quality infrastructure and vaccines to the region while working closer on security issues.
He said the Biden administration doesn’t want conflict in Asia, and would ensure competition with China doesn’t veer into a “catastrophic” conflict.
“We’ll adopt a strategy that more closely weaves together all our instruments of national power – diplomacy, military, intelligence – with those of our allies and partners,” Mr Blinken said on the first stop of a three-nation tour of the region.
He reeled off a list of concerns about China, including “claiming open seas their own” and hitting countries that stand up to it with trade restrictions.
He said: “That’s why there is so much concern – from North-east Asia to South-east Asia and from the Mekong River to the Pacific Islands – about Beijing’s aggressive actions.
“Claiming open seas as their own. Distorting open markets through subsidies to its state-run companies. Denying the exports or revoking deals for countries whose policies it does not agree with.
“Countries across the region want this behaviour to change – we do too.”
He said the goal of defending the rules-based order is not to keep any country down.
“Rather, it’s to protect the right of all countries to choose their own path, free from coercion and intimidation,” he said.
Mr Blinken is seeking to rebuild relationships that frayed during President Donald Trump’s term with governments that aren’t part of the Biden administration’s Quad partnership with Australia, India and Japan.
Still, Mr Blinken had little to say on the issue of trade, where regional leaders have pushed for the US to offer something just as substantive as the 11-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The top US diplomat reiterated that the administration is still developing an Indo-Pacific strategy that will focus on trade, the digital economy, technology, supply chains, clean energy and other areas.
He noted the Quad nations provided more than US$48 billion (S$66 billion) in government-backed financing, part of efforts to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
After Indonesia, Mr Blinken heads to Malaysia and Thailand.
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