China launched the drills after a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan that angered Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory. Blinken told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia, however, that Pelosi’s visit was peaceful and did not represent a change in US policy toward Taiwan, accusing China of using it as “a pretext to increase provocative military activity in and around the Taiwan Straits.” He said the situation led to a “robust communication” during East Asia summits in Phnom Penh, attended by both himself and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi along with ASEAN nations, Russia and others. “I reiterated the points we made publicly and directly to the Chinese counterparts in recent days, that they should not use the visit as a pretext for war, for escalation, for provocative actions, that there is no possible justification. for what they have done and we urge them to stop these actions,” he said. Blinken did not sit down one-on-one with Wang, but said he had already spoken with the Chinese foreign minister about the possibility of Pelosi visiting Taiwan before it took place during meetings in Bali, and had made the US position clear. China on Friday announced unspecified sanctions on Pelosi for her visit. A statement from China’s foreign ministry said it ignored China’s concerns and determined opposition to her trip. Pelosi was met with euphoria as the first US House speaker and high-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in more than 25 years. China opposes any involvement of Taiwanese officials with foreign governments and has accused the US of breaking the status quo with Pelosi’s visit. The US insists there has been no change in its “one China” position to recognize the government in Beijing, while allowing informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. Despite the aggressive Chinese response to the visit, Blinken said the US also would not change its “commitment to the security of our allies in the region” and that the Defense Department had instructed the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier group to “remain on station in general area to monitor the situation.” “We will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,” he said. “We will continue to conduct routine air and sea crossings through the Taiwan Strait, consistent with our long-standing approach of working with allies and partners to maintain freedom of navigation and overflight.” As the East Asia Summit opened, Wang patted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the shoulder as he entered the room and gave the already seated Lavrov a quick wave before taking his seat. Lavrov waved back in response. Blinken, who entered the room last, didn’t even glance at Lavrov as he sat alone, about half a dozen chairs away, or at Wang, who sat further down at the same table as Lavrov. Before the Phnom Penh talks, the US State Department said Blinken had no plans to meet in person with either man during the meetings. After the meetings, Lavrov told reporters that there were many “fiery statements” about the implications of Pelosi’s visit. “There have been rather sharp statements from our Chinese partners, who we support,” he told reporters. “And there have been responses from the US and Japan that it is not China’s business and that the stated policy of supporting the one-China principle does not mean that one should seek permission from Beijing to visit Taiwan. Certainly, it is a strange logic.” The talks came a day after WNBA star Brittney Griner was convicted of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison by Russia in a politically charged case amid contestations over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Blinken said the conviction and sentence “compounds the injustice done to her.” “It brings into focus our very significant concern about Russia’s legal system and the Russian government’s use of illegal detentions to advance its own agenda by using individuals as political pawns,” he said. Blinken raised the possibility of a prisoner swap with Griner and another American imprisoned in Russia, Paul Whelan, but Lavrov told reporters that such a deal could only be decided by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden. “We are ready to discuss this issue, but to discuss it within the channel agreed by Presidents Putin and Biden,” Lavrov said on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting. On Thursday, China canceled a meeting of foreign ministers with Japan to protest a statement by the Group of Seven industrialized nations that said there was no justification for Beijing’s military exercises, which are effectively encircling Taiwan. “Japan, along with other members of the G-7 and the EU, made an irresponsible statement blaming China and confusing right and wrong,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing. When Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa began speaking Friday at the East Asia Summit, both Lavrov and Wang left the room, according to a diplomat in the room who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the so-called private meeting. After Chinese missile launches into Japan’s economic zone, Blinken said the US stands in “strong solidarity” with Japan following the “dangerous actions China has taken”.
Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.
