US Secretary of State Antony Blinken strongly criticized China’s “increasingly dangerous” actions in the South China Sea and reaffirmed the US’s commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation during a meeting with ASEAN leaders on Friday.
“We remain concerned about China’s increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions on the South and East China Seas, which have injured people, harmed vessels from ASEAN nations, and contradict commitments to peaceful resolution of disputes,” Blinken said to Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Laos.
He emphasized that the US will continue to support freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific.
Blinken also expressed a desire to collaborate with ASEAN leaders to “protect stability across the Taiwan Strait,” as tensions rise following recent Chinese criticisms of statements made by Taiwan’s president.
Representing the US at the annual Southeast Asian summit, Blinken addressed growing concerns among ASEAN members over the disputes in the South China Sea, where the Philippines has expressed alarm over violent incidents as Beijing pushes its territorial claims.
The summit also focused on the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.
The country’s military junta sent a representative to the ASEAN meeting for the first time in over three years, although it was unclear if there was direct interaction with Blinken.
Blinken noted the “deepening crisis in Myanmar,” using the official name of the country, a rare occurrence by the US, which usually refers to it as Burma.
He also called for stronger resistance against Russia’s “war of aggression” in Ukraine, ahead of the East Asia Summit, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to attend.