(Washington) On Friday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged Beijing to respect the rights of Uyghurs, Tibet and Hong Kong, during his first meeting with the Chinese government since Joe Biden took office.
Mr. Blaken tweeted after a phone call with a senior US official: “I have made it clear that the United States will defend our national interests, fight for our democratic values, and hold Beijing accountable for any violation of the international order.” Chinese diplomacy Yang Jiechi.
“The United States will continue to struggle for human rights and democratic values, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong,” the US diplomat said, as indicated in a statement issued by the State Department.
The statement added that Mr. Blinken “urged China to unite with the international community in its condemnation of the military coup in Burma.”
According to the same statement, the US Secretary of State confirmed that the United States would hold Beijing “responsible for its attempts to destabilize the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including the Taiwan Strait, and for its attacks against the established bases of the international system.”
During the US Senate hearing on January 19, shortly before taking office, Mr. Blinken had already used a particularly harsh tone toward Beijing. He said former President Donald Trump was “right” to take a “firmer stance against China.”
“We must face China from a position of strength, not weakness,” he said, claiming the agreement with the Trump administration that Beijing is committing genocide in the Xinjiang region (west) against the Uyghur Muslims.