In a speech in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, following a meeting with NATO alliance foreign ministers, Secretary of State John Blinken strongly condemned the Chinese Communist Party‘s widespread use of coercive measures and urged NATO allies to work with the United States to strengthen their resistance to Beijing.
Blinken began by criticizing the growing military ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party. He said, “We have seen the Chinese Communist Party threaten freedom of navigation, militarize the South China Sea, and target countries in the Indo-Pacific region, using their escalating military capabilities. Beijing’s military ambitions are growing year by year, accompanied by modern technology. These challenges once seemed half a world away from each other, but are no longer out of reach.”
Blinken also emphasized that the CCP’s actions pose a security and economic threat to the United States and its allies. He noted, “There is no question that Beijing’s coercive behavior threatens our shared security and prosperity, and that it is actively working to undermine the rules of the international system and the values we share with our allies.”
Blinken also said there is still room for the U.S. and allies to work with China on common challenges such as climate change and health security, but he also called on NATO to stand together when Beijing coerces one of its allies.
We know that our allies have a complex relationship with the Chinese Communist Party and are not always fully aligned with us,” he said. But we need to work together to address these challenges. That means working with our allies to close the gaps in areas like technology and infrastructure that Beijing is using to apply coercive pressure.”
Blinken met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers Wednesday to discuss the long-term importance of security cooperation between the U.S. and Turkey, including shared interests in Syria and Afghanistan, and urged Turkey not to retain Russia’s S-400 air defense system.
On the other hand, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to hold a video conference with EU leaders on Thursday. A White House statement said Biden will discuss with EU leaders how to work together to address the Epidemic and climate change and deepen trade and investment ties, while China and Russia will also be among the key topics.
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