Amid deepening rivalry, US State Secy Blinken meets China's Wang Yi in Laos

Amid deepening regional tensions between the US and China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's top diplomat Wang Yi met in Laos on Saturday, and held talks, according to CNN.

Blinken's visit to Laos comes at a time when the US Presidential election campaign has renewed regional scrutiny as in who will win the race to establish a new administration in the White House.

China's increasingly assertive moves in the South China Sea and threats toward Taiwan and China's trade policies have resulted in worsening ties between Washington and Beijing.

The US State Secretary met China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Laos. It is notably Wang Yi's first leg of a week-long trip which also includes stops in Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia.

 

Before speaking with Wang on Saturday, Blinken urged Southeast Asian countries to work together to address challenges including Beijing's "escalating and unlawful actions taken against the Philippines in the South China Sea" at a meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers.

The relations between the US and China continue to remain in a rocky state despite Joe Biden's government efforts to stabilize them, reported CNN. Moreover, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Beijing's growing quest to rise as a global power, and its increasingly assertive moves in the South China Sea and threats toward Taiwan, have further resulted in strained ties between Beijing and Washington.

The ten nations that make up ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian nations), have been watching the rising hostilities between China and the US with increasing trepidation in recent times.

Earlier this week, two Russian and two Chinese bombers were tracked flying near Alaska, according to CNN. A US defence official stated that it was the first time the two countries had been intercepted while operating together.

Also, Beijing's backing of Russia in its war against Ukraine has always remained another strong point of conflict between the US and China.

China is providing "large-scale support for Russia's defence industrial base," according to a joint declaration made by NATO leaders earlier this month, branding Beijing as a "decisive enabler" of Russia's conflict against Ukraine. In recent months, the US and the EU have accused China of supporting Russia's defence industry by exporting dual-use equipment, and they have sanctioned numerous enterprises in mainland China and Hong Kong to avoid the stringent requirements imposed on Russia, CNN reported.

Beijing insists it maintains tight restrictions on such commodities and has denied sending weapons.

China has endeavoured to establish itself as an impartial mediator of peace in the war, even in light of its expanding political, economic, and military connections with Moscow and the close friendship between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.