Washington:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken requested Beijing to keep up cross-strait stability on Friday throughout a gathering with a senior Chinese language official, hours earlier than voters in Taiwan headed to polls to decide on a brand new president.
Blinken, briefly again in Washington in between his newest Center East disaster tour and a visit to the World Financial Discussion board in Davos, met with Liu Jianchao, who heads the worldwide division of the Chinese language Communist Celebration’s Central Committee.
“The 2 sides had a constructive dialogue on a variety of bilateral, regional, and world points, together with areas of potential cooperation and areas of distinction,” State Division spokesman Matthew Miller mentioned in an announcement.
“The Secretary reiterated the significance of sustaining peace and stability throughout the Taiwan Strait and within the South China Sea.”
Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy claimed by Beijing, heads to the polls on Saturday with Beijing describing the front-runner, Lai Ching-te, as a “extreme hazard” because of previous feedback favorable to outright independence.
However Lai has been cautious on the marketing campaign path and US officers say privately that they don’t see Chinese language statements and actions as out of the atypical for a Taiwan election.
The USA, whereas recognizing solely Beijing, gives weapons to Taiwan to make sure its protection, as China has not dominated out drive to “reunify.”
The USA has “deep confidence in Taiwan’s democratic course of and imagine it’s for Taiwan voters to resolve their subsequent chief free from exterior interference,” State Division spokesman Vedant Patel mentioned Thursday.
President Joe Biden’s administration plans to ship an “unofficial” delegation to Taiwan after the election, a transfer it introduced upfront and described as routine.
Assist for Taiwan is particularly robust within the US Congress, the place the Senate on Thursday unanimously handed a decision commending Taiwan, hailing the “instance it has set for self-governance, not only for the Pacific area, however for the world.”
Blinken additionally met individually on the State Division Friday with International Minister Yoko Kamikawa of shut US ally Japan.
The journey by Liu, seen as a rising determine in Chinese language policymaking, comes as the US and China step up dialogue to ease tensions which have soared lately.
The 2 powers’ presidents, Biden and Xi Jinping, met in November in San Francisco the place they agreed to revive navy dialogue, seen by Washington as crucial to stopping mishaps.
Liu, talking Tuesday on the Council on International Relations in New York, took a conciliatory tone with little criticism of the United Sates.
He declined to say how China would reply to Taiwan’s elections and mentioned Beijing famous US statements that it doesn’t again Taiwanese independence.
Liu met earlier with Jon Finer, the deputy nationwide safety advisor, on the White Home.
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