Blinken discusses Xinjiang, HK in 1st call with China

WASHINGTON: US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Friday raised rights violations in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet in his first conversation with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

Blinken also told Yang, who is director of the office of the central commission for foreign affairs, that the US and its allies will hold China “accountable for its efforts to threaten stability in the Indo-pacific”, according to the US state department.

The new US administration’s engagements with China are being followed closely the world over, as well as in India. President Joe Biden has called China the “most serious competitor” and said in a speech earlier this week, “We’ll confront China’s economic abuses; counter its aggressive, coercive action; to push back on China’s attack on human rights, intellectual property, and global governance.”

Blinken’s conversation with Yang was the first contact between the new administration with Chinese officials at the top level. President Biden and President Xi Jinping have not spoken yet. Xi did call to leave a congratulatory message for Biden on his election win.

Blinken told Yang “the United States will continue to stand up for human rights and democratic values, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, and pressed China to join the international community in condemning the military coup in Burma (Myanmar)”, said the state department.

The US is revoking the Houthi movement’s terror designation in response to Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, reversing one of the Trump administration’s most criticised decisions. The move was confirmed by a state department official on Friday, “Our action is due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration,” the official said.

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