His recent meeting with the Chinese foreign minister did not resolve tensions.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Indonesia this past weekend, where they spoke for five hours on the current state of U.S.-Chinese relations. Secretary Blinken expressed his concerns about China’s alignment with Russia, but Minister Wang dismissed this as “China-phobia” indicating that the U.S. is responsible for negative relations between the two countries.
Minister Wang urged the U.S. to lift tariffs placed against China, but Secretary Blinken communicated that the U.S. will likely not do so while the country refuses to address human rights violations and does not denounce Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Secretary Blinken stated after the meeting, “We are concerned about the PRC’s alignment with Russia.” While China has claimed that it has taken a “neutral” stance on Russia’s attacks, the U.S. secretary of state said, “I don’t believe China is acting in a way that is neutral.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- That Secretary Blinken would seek the Lord’s direction as he meets and speaks with foreign leaders.
- For U.S. intelligence officials as they gather information regarding the plans and actions of other nations.
- For the president and Joint Chiefs of Staff as the threats to national security are monitored.
Sources: NPR, Reuters
