Blinken criticizes China's 'escalating actions' at sea ahead of Wang meeting

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, shortly before meeting his Chinese counterpart on Saturday, urged Southeast Asian countries to help address challenges including Beijing's "escalating and unlawful actions" in the South China Sea.

Blinken also called the civil war in Myanmar "heartbreaking" and stressed to foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) the need to work together to tackle issues like the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, North Korea's missile programs.

Though Blinken singled out China's over its actions against US defense ally the Philippines in the South China Sea, he lauded both countries for their diplomacy hours after Manila completed a resupply mission to troops in an area also claimed by Beijing.

The troop presence has for years angered China, which has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines over Manila's missions to troops on a navy ship grounded at the Second Thomas Shoal, causing regional concern about an escalation.

The two sides this week reached an arrangement over how to conduct those missions.

"We are pleased to take note of the successful resupply today of the Second Thomas shoal, which is the product of an agreement reached between the Philippines and China," Blinken told ASEAN counterparts.

"We applaud that and hope and expect to see that it continues going forward."



Reuters