STOCKHOLM — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday known as on Beijing to conform to higher communication after a fighter jet incident final week he blamed on a Chinese pilot.
The US navy mentioned that final week a Chinese fighter pilot flew aggressively close to a US surveillance plane over the South China Sea, with Beijing blaming US “provocation” for the episode.
The Pentagon additionally mentioned that China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu declined talks with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when the 2 are in Singapore this week for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.
Blinken mentioned that US airplanes have been “flying in international airspace on a routine mission.”
“There have been a series of these actions directed not just at us but at other countries in recent months,” Blinken instructed reporters on a go to to Sweden.
“I think it only underscores why it is so important that we have regular, open lines of communication including, by the way, between our defense ministers,” Blinken mentioned.
“The most dangerous thing is not to communicate and, as a result, to have a misunderstanding and miscommunication,” Blinken mentioned.
“And as we said repeatedly, while we have a real competition with China, we also want to make sure that doesn’t veer into conflict and the most important starting point for that are regular lines of communication.”
Blinken cancelled a visit to Beijing in February after the United States mentioned it noticed a surveillance balloon from China over the US mainland. — Agence France-Presse
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
