US Secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has revealed that Washington is concerned about China’s aggressive actions against Taiwan. He warned that it would be a “serious mistake” for anyone to try to;change the status quo in the western Pacific by force.
Blinken also said China’s failure to provide access to global health experts made the Covid-19 pandemic worse than it had to be. He further noted that it was important to “get to the bottom” of the origin of the novel coronavirus.
Addressing Taiwan, Blinken told reporters of the US government’s concern about China’s “aggressive actions” in the Straits.
“What we’ve seen,;and what is of real concern to us, is increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing directed at Taiwan, raising tensions in the Straits.”
Tensions between Washington and Beijing are high. On Thursday, 8th April, China blamed the US for tensions after an American warship sailed close to Taiwan. On Friday, the White House said;it was keeping a close watch on increased Chinese military activities in the Taiwan Strait,;and called Beijing’s actions potentially destabilizing.
Blinken noted that the US has a longstanding commitment to ensure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself. He also said America is committed to sustain peace and security in the western Pacific. Asked if the US would respond militarily to a Chinese action in Taiwan, Blinken declined to comment on a hypothetical.
“All I can tell you is we have a serious commitment to Taiwan being able to defend itself. We have a serious commitment to peace and security in the western Pacific. We stand behind those commitments. And in that context, it would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change that status quo by force”.
Lack of transparency on Covid
The Secretary of State also chided China over a lack of transparency in the crucial early days of the pandemic.
China did not give access to international experts or share information in real time to provide true transparency, Blinken said. As a result, the virus “got out of hand faster and with, I think, much more egregious results than it might otherwise.”
The World Health Organization director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also reported on 30th March that data was withheld from WHO investigators who traveled to China to research the origins of the pandemic.
A WHO report, written jointly with Chinese scientists, said the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely” as a cause. Tedros said the issue required further investigation.
Blinken noted that the events highlight why there needs to be a stronger global health security system to ensure “this doesn’t happen again”. He also called for reforms that must include a commitment to transparency, information sharing and access for experts, “and China has to play a part in that”.
The Secretary of State said it was important to reach a more conclusive accounting of how the pandemic began.
“We need to do that precisely so we fully understand what happened, in order to have the best shot possible preventing it from happening again. That’s why we need to get to the bottom of this.”
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