US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China’s Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office Wang Yi met in Jakarta, Indonesia Thursday during which they had “candid and constructive” discussions.
US State Department Spokesman Mathew Miller said in a statement that the meeting was “part of ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication to clarify US interests across a wide range of issues and to responsibly manage competition by reducing the risk of misperception and miscalculation.” “This is what the world expects of the United States and the PRC (People’s Republic of China),” the statement affirmed.
The statement added that Blinken and Wang had “candid and constructive discussions on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including on areas of difference and potential areas of cooperation.” Blinken emphasized “the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” The statement noted that Blinken “used the meeting to advance US interests and values, to directly raise concerns shared by the United States and allies and partners regarding PRC actions and advocate for progress on transnational challenges that affect people in the United States, the PRC, and around the world.” The US top diplomat “made clear that the United States, together with our allies and partners, will advance our vision for a free, open and rules-based international order.” “The two sides agreed to maintain open channels of communication in the weeks and months ahead,” the statement said.
Blinken is in Jakarta to participate in the annual US-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and ASEAN Regional Forum.
Source: Kuwait News Agency