By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 55 minutes ago
US Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken in Jakarta. POOL / REUTERS
The US Secretary of State called for “maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait” at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Security Forum.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Southeast Asian counterparts on Friday July 14 to “enforcefreedom of navigation in the South and East China Seas, and urged maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, where China has staged maneuvers.
«We must uphold the freedom of navigation in the South and East China Seas and maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait“, declared the head of the American diplomacy.
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He was speaking to the Foreign Ministers of Southeast Asian countries, gathered this week in Jakarta for discussions as part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Security Forum ).
Rising tensions with China
Beijing claims nearly all of the South China Sea, where other Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam have competing claims. Several ASEAN members, including the Philippines, have pushed for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea after a series of incidents with Chinese patrol vessels. They also complained that their own territorial claims were not being respected by Beijing.
Tensions between Beijing and Washington have also escalated in recent years over disputed waters and the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory, to be taken back by force if necessary.
Put pressure on the Burmese junta
The US Secretary of State further called for “lobbyon the ruling junta in Burma to end the violence and return to democratic rule. Burma has been wracked by deadly violence since a military coup toppled the government of Aung San Suu Kyi more than two years ago and sparked a bloody crackdown on dissidents.
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«In Burma, we must pressure the military regime to end the violence, implement the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus and support a return to democratic governancesaid Anthony Blinken in Jakarta. The ASEAN foreign ministers also condemned the violence in Burma on Thursday, in a joint statement issued more than a day after the end of the summit.
2023-07-14 09:25:17
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