But he stops promising the U.S. would interfere if they conducted invasions. Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “the attack of China on Taiwan would be a grave mistake” and that he expressed “true concern” about Russian border forces.
Blinken fell short of the promising US military action — “I will not get into hypothesis” — in addressing questions about the two great Cold War rivals, but vowed there would be “causes.”
“The Taiwan Relations Act is a two-partisan pledge, which has lasted for many, many years, to ensure that we can protect ourselves in Taiwan and that peace and stability are maintained in the Western Pacific,” Blinken said to host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”That is what we are standing behind.
“And what I can tell you is that trying to forcibly alter the current status quo will be a serious mistake for everyone,” he said.
China sees Taiwan as a part of their territory, which has been the case since Mao Zedong’s revolution took over China in 1949, and the remains of the ancient nationalist government fled to Taiwan where for decades they have been a thorn alongside China, along with their successors.
In recent years, there has been a similar dynamic between Russia and Ukraine. In the 1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine became an independent nation. In 2014, the Russian government of Vladimir Putin captured the Crimean area and has been fighting for years along the borders.
“I have to tell you I’m very anxious about the behavior of Russia along the borders of Ukraine, as we are talking now,” Blinken told Todd. More Russian forces have been flocking to these borders than ever since the first Russian invasion in 2014. This is why we are in very near touch with our allies and partners in Europe, in close cooperation. “
“Chairman Biden was quite clear about that, he said. There would be implications if Russia behaves recklessly, or violently. “
In a broad interview, Blinken also expressed his expectation that the United States would “be the world leader to ensure that the whole world is immunized.”
In describing the United States’ efforts to improve collaboration on vaccine production and delivery, Blinken stated that America will pay if the world is not protected from Covid.
“Without vaccinating the vast majority of the world’s population, it will always be a concern for us,” he said. “Because as long as the virus replicates elsewhere, it might mutate and then come back to reach us.”
Blinken| Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @njtimesofficial. To get latest updates
