Blinken claims that US partnerships in Asia are now stronger
The United States will continue to engage with China from a “position of strength” in 2024, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, noting that Washington’s ties with its like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific have “never been stronger.”
At his year-end press conference, Blinken also said the United States is “more closely aligned than ever” with the Group of Seven and the European Union “on the challenges presented by Beijing.”
Regarding China’s “coercive” trade and economic practices, peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as well as in the South and East China seas, and other such concerns, he said the deepening ties have enabled the United States to tackle them more effectively.
Some of the major accomplishments in 2023 he cited included cementing a “new era of trilateral cooperation” with Japan and South Korea, launching strategic partnerships with Vietnam and Indonesia, and reaching a defence cooperation agreement with the Philippines.
As the world heads into 2024, Blinken said the United States will continue to “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who share our vision for a free, open, prosperous and secure world.”
During the press conference, Blinken devoted much of his time to rallying the U.S. Congress and countries around the world to continue supporting Ukraine’s freedom and independence, and underscoring the importance of ending the Israel-Hamas war as quickly as possible.
The top U.S. diplomat said more assistance is needed for Ukraine to ensure that Russia’s invasion, which began in February 2022, “remains a strategic failure” and that the war-torn Ukraine can “move toward standing strongly on its own two feet militarily, economically and democratically.”
On the war in the Middle East that erupted in October, he said, “We continue to believe that Israel does not have to choose between removing the threat of Hamas and minimizing the toll on civilians in Gaza.”
“It has an obligation to do both,” Blinken said, while vowing to help Israel.
He added that the conflict needs to enter “a lower-intensity phase” and the United States is hoping for Israel to shift to “more targeted operations with a smaller number of forces” focusing on dealing with the Hamas leadership.
His remarks were made at a time when the administration of President Joe Biden is under increased pressure to rein in Israel’s ongoing military campaign, launched after the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on the Jewish state.
As Biden also struggles to secure congressional approval for his supplemental budget request, which includes additional funding for Ukraine and Israel, Blinken warned, “Here’s who cheers if we fail (to pass it) — Moscow, Tehran, Beijing. If we come up short, it won’t be our adversaries and competitors who stopped us, it will be ourselves.”
