[Blinken’s criticisms of China in a
region where it holds strong political and economic ties resembled some of the
broadsides leveled by former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, his predecessor in
the Trump administration. But Blinken sought to strike a softer tone, insisting
that Washington is not forcing countries to choose between the two superpowers.]
By John Hudson
Speaking at a university in the
capital of Indonesia, Blinken said the Biden administration would work with
allies and partners to defend the “rules-based order” against a rising China
that he depicted as a threat to freedom of movement in the South China Sea,
where an estimated $3 trillion of commerce flows every year.
“Claiming open seas as their own.
Distorting open markets through subsidies to its state-run companies. Denying
the exports or revoking deals for countries whose policies it does not agree
with,” Blinken said. “Countries across the region want this behavior to change
— we do too.”
[Biden
administration shows appetite for high-profile fights with China and Russia]
Blinken’s criticisms of China in a
region where it holds strong political and economic ties resembled some of the
broadsides leveled by former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, his predecessor in
the Trump administration. But Blinken sought to strike a softer tone, insisting
that Washington is not forcing countries to choose between the two superpowers.
“Individual countries will be able
to choose their own path and their own partners,” he said.
Blinken is using his three-country
swing through Southeast Asia, which will include stops in Malaysia and
Thailand, as a means for spelling out the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific
strategy. Beijing has drawn criticism in the region for laying claim to much of
the South China Sea, which is disputed by smaller countries in the region such
as Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. China has also moved military
hardware into the waters and dismissed a 2016 international tribunal decision that refuted its historical
claim there.
U.S.-China relations have plummeted
in recent years due to differences over Hong Kong, Taiwan, human rights and
the coronavirus pandemic. Blinken said the United States,
which has more members of its military stationed in the Indo-Pacific than
anywhere outside the contiguous United States, is committed to “peace and
security” that is “vital to prosperity in the region.”
A key pillar of the Biden
administration’s policy is to ensure the rights and freedoms of the people of
the region, Blinken said.
But in promoting free and
democratic governance, he was careful not to criticize corruption and
anti-democratic practices of the countries on his tour, which he’s hoping to
bring closer to Washington’s orbit.
During a news conference in
Jakarta’s glitzy Fairmont hotel, Blinken was asked about whether he would give
voice to anti-corruption and pro-democracy efforts in Thailand and Malaysia.
The top U.S. diplomat dodged the question, saying, “we’ll have an opportunity
in both places to address questions particular to those places when we’re
there.”
Despite Blinken’s disciplined focus
on Asia, the stop in Indonesia also brought a reminder of Washington’s
high-stakes standoff with Russia over its military buildup on the border with
Ukraine.
[Russia
planning military offensive against Ukraine, U.S. intelligence warns]
When Blinken touched down in
Jakarta on Monday, he shared the same tarmac as Russian President Vladimir
Putin’s senior aide Nikolai Patrushev, whose plane parked nearby as he met
separately with Indonesian officials.
“I noticed his plane on the runway
next to ours when we landed,” said Blinken during the news conference. “I can’t
or won’t speak to why anyone else might be here or what they’re doing.”
Blinken, who did not meet with
Patrushev during the stop, was asked if he missed a diplomatic opportunity to
address a crisis that has consumed Washington. He suggested that Washington
first needed to consult with its partner Ukraine before serious discussions
ensued with Moscow.
“We have a senior State Department
official, Karen Donfried, who is now in Ukraine consulting with our Ukrainian
partners,” he said.
“She’ll be going on to Moscow . . . to test” whether Moscow is serious about resolving
the crisis in Ukraine, Blinken said.
