US Secretary of State: "China Will Not Disappear... We Must Find a Way to Coexist"

"We must find a path to coexistence." On the 28th (local time), U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken presented "peaceful and productive coexistence" as the practical goal of the U.S. policy toward China.

Secretary Blinken attended a discussion hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York that day and said, "The U.S. and China are in a highly competitive relationship, but this should not become a conflict." He explained, "China will not disappear, and neither will we. In this regard, we must find a way to coexist, and it must always be peaceful."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Regarding the Taiwan issue, considered one of the core conflicts with China, he reaffirmed the U.S.'s existing position of the "One China" policy. Secretary Blinken stated, "The differences between China and Taiwan must be resolved peacefully," opposing any unilateral change of the status quo by either side. He also pointed out that China has taken military and economic actions contrary to this and warned, "Not only the U.S. but other countries are concerned." He confirmed that he conveyed these concerns to the Chinese side during his recent visit to Beijing.

Secretary Blinken also mentioned the need to establish a new framework to respond to China's rise and the threat from Russia. He expressed concern, "We are witnessing a global retreat of democracy, not just in the U.S. All of this combined is creating a 'perfect storm moment.'" He emphasized the necessity of forming a large coalition with other major countries to respond to this.

On the same day, Secretary Blinken expressed concerns about China, including the Taiwan issue, in an interview with MSNBC. He said that during his recent visit to China, he had "very direct and lengthy conversations" with the Chinese side regarding Taiwan. He also noted that more than half of the world's commercial container ships pass through the Taiwan Strait and predicted, "If China creates a crisis over Taiwan, the world will face an economic crisis."

Secretary Blinken explained, "One of the reasons I went to China was to secure clear and continuous communication lines so that we can overcome differences in this competitive situation," adding, "To prevent getting caught up in conflict and to see if there are areas where we can cooperate." When repeatedly asked whether he shares the same view as U.S. President Joe Biden, who called Chinese President Xi Jinping a 'dictator,' he responded evasively, "The President represents all of us."

At the same time, Secretary Blinken strongly criticized Russia, which continues its invasion of Ukraine. Regarding the recent mutiny by the Wagner Group mercenary company in Russia, he said, "It is too early to say how the situation will unfold," but diagnosed, "Unprecedented cracks are appearing."

He said, "Ukrainians are counterattacking to reclaim their territory," adding, "Overall, this has been Vladimir Putin's failure, and now we are seeing internal as well as external fractures in the conduct of the war." Furthermore, he pointed out, "Look at where Russia is now as a result of this invasion: militarily weakened, economically weakened, and Russia's standing in the world has plummeted. It is Putin's strategic failure."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.