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• On December 23, Secretary Blinken commended President Biden for signing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, labeling Chinese actions in Xinjiang as “genocide.”
• On December 16, Secretary Blinken reiterated the Department of Treasury and Department of Commerce’s decision to include on the Entity List several dozen Chinese firms connected to the PRC Surveillance Technology Sector and firms involved in biotechnology that support the PRC military.
• After his December 14 trip to Indonesia and December 15 trip to Malaysia, Blinken had to cancel a trip to Thailand on his Southeast Asia tour due to a COVID-19 threat.
• On December 2, Secretary Blinken commended the Australian government for passing an amendment to its Autonomous Sanctions Act, which is partly modeled off of the U.S. Global Magnitsky Act. These changes are to more comprehensively address human rights abuses, corruption, malicious cyber activity, violations of international humanitarian law, and Weapons of Mass Destruction proliferation, which Blinken noted would help the U.S. and Australia jointly promote democratic values globally.

In His Own Words

• On December 14, Secretary Blinken delivered a speech at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, where he lambasted Beijing for actions that threaten the stability of $3 trillion worth of commerce that transits the South China Sea each year and also stressed the importance of maintaining a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” He also stressed that the U.S. seeks to continue deepening its relationships and building alliances with ASEAN and other important regional actors like Japan and South Korea.
• On December 7, 2021, Secretary Blinken was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, where he upheld the One China policy and Taiwan Relations Act as to how the U.S. intends to manage developments in the Taiwan Strait. When asked to clarify what he meant in previous speeches where he declared that America’s goal is not to hold China down, but to uphold the current international order, Blinken responded:
  

  In my estimation, China wants a world order.  It benefits from a world order.  The challenge is that the world order that China would prefer is a profoundly illiberal one, as opposed to a liberal one.  And we have a very profound stake in upholding the order, making sure to the best of our ability that countries – whoever they are, wherever they are – actually play by the established rules, the norms, meet the standards.

  Now, one of the arguments we hear from Beijing is that this order, this construct, is a Western order, Western construct.  It’s not.  It’s profoundly grounded in the United Nations Charter, in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, both of which China has signed onto.  And this gets to the point that you’re also making.  Our purpose is not to contain China, to hold it back, to stop trade and investment, to decouple.  That’s not the case.  Our purpose is to uphold the international order, the international system that we’ve benefitted from – and I would actually say that China’s benefitted from – when it’s being challenged.  And if China’s doing the challenging, we’ll stand up.

In His Own Words

• On the heels of a Signing Ceremony for $2.1 Billion Development Assistance Agreement with Nigeria on November 18, at a joint press conference between Secretary Blinken and Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, both diplomats were asked about China’s growing influence on the African continent. Questioned about the growing investment competition between the U.S. and China, as well as access to important resources like rare earth metals, Secretary Blinken responded to the former and not the latter:
  

  When it comes to infrastructure investment, again, this is not about China or anyone else.  It is about what we would like to think of as a race to the top when it comes to those investments.  So it’s not simply the resources themselves.  It’s how they’re used and according to what principles….And so, for example, we want to make sure that as investments are made, countries are not labored with tremendous debt that they can’t repay.  That’s something we won’t do.  We want to make sure that the rights of workers are foremost in our minds, that the environment is protected, that there’s no corruption that comes along with these investments, that we build together to the highest possible standards, and that we invest in areas and sectors that really will be the future for Africa as well as for the rest of the world….

• On November 10, Secretary Blinken was interviewed by the New York Times, where he was asked to comment about the potential outcomes of a future Biden-Xi meeting, as well as how the U.S. would react if “China were to quote-unquote “breach” Taiwan.” To the question of the Biden-Xi meeting, saying that a virtual meeting was likely to occur soon and that real progress could be made despite its online setting. Regarding the Taiwan question, Blinken responded:
  

  …we stand strongly against anyone taking unilateral action to disrupt the status quo by force. And we have commitments – longstanding commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act – to make sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself. We’re committed to the Taiwan Relations Act, and our responsibility is to do just that. Similarly, we continue to adhere to the “one China” policy, but that is based on the Taiwan Relations Act. It’s based on various assurances and commitments that have been made. But we will make sure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself…

In His Own Words

• On October 31, Secretary Blinken was interviewed by CBS, where he was asked to comment on what incentives China has to meet climate change mitigation targets given its increasingly adversarial relationship with the U.S. He responded:
  

  Well, I think the number one interest is in not being a world outlier.  Their own people would benefit dramatically from China taking the necessary steps on climate change.  So would the international community, to the extent that China cares about its – how it’s seen in the world.  It also needs to think about stepping up.

• On October 6, Blinken spoke to the press with the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He was asked about if increased Chinese activity around Taiwan changes U.S. calculus towards the island. Blinken answered:

I have to tell you and reiterate that we are very concerned by the PRC’s provocative military activity near Taiwan. As we’ve said, the activity is destabilizing, it risks miscalculation, and it has the potential to undermine regional peace and stability. So we strongly urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion directed at Taiwan…The United States has a commitment to Taiwan that is rock solid and, over many years, has contributed to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region. And we will continue to stand with friends, with allies to advance shared prosperity, shared security, shared values, as well as continue to deepen our ties with a democratic Taiwan.

Media

• On September 23, Secretary Blinken met with ASEAN foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The discussions reaffirmed US support for an ASEAN-centered Indo-Pacific region, specifically underscoring the need for US-ASEAN cooperation in regional infrastructure, confronting the situation in Myanmar, and upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific.

In His Own Words

• On September 30, Secretary Blinken extended a congratulatory message to the people of the People’s Republic of China as they began celebrations for their National Day on October 1.
• On September 30, Blinken spoke to local press in Pittsburgh following the inaugural U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council. Reflecting on the TTC meeting, Blinken said:

When the United States and Europe can come together and work together on issues of trade and technology, we have a tremendous ability to shape the way all of that goes forward in the future – the rules, the norms, the standards that affect trade and affect the way that technology is used. When you’ve got almost half of the world’s GDP working together to do that based on the values that we share, the democratic values we share, that’s a very, very powerful thing.

He was then asked about if the upcoming G20 meeting in Rome will be an opportunity to directly engage China on how their values and practices differ from the U.S. and EU. Blinken responded:

I think what – from the perspective of both the United States and Europe, we are similarly aggrieved by a number of practices that China is engaged in when it comes to trade and commercial relations that are almost structural in nature, including the subsidization of state-owned enterprises, some of the forced technology transfer, the problem with theft of intellectual property, and a number of other things that are distortive and simply don’t allow for a level playing field.

• On  September 16, Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin participated in a joint press conference with their ministerial partners from Australia. Blinken welcomed the announcement of the AUKUS security pact, saying:

AUKUS…reflects our countries’ shared commitment to work together to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific now and in the future…

The first initiative under AUKUS is our shared ambition to support Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.  We’re now embarking on a trilateral effort to identify the best way to deliver that capability.

I want to emphasize that there is no regional divide separating the interests of our Atlantic and our Pacific partners.  This partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom is a signal that we’re committed to working with our allies and partners, including in Europe, to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.  We welcome European countries playing an important role in the Indo-Pacific. 

…beyond these bilateral ties, the partnership between our countries underpins stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.  We share a commitment to democracy and the rule of law.  We stand up for human rights and stand together against threats to democratic governance, including state-sponsored disinformation.  We work together to help neighbors in the Indo-Pacific and to take on urgent global challenges.

Speaking later on about China’s economic retaliation to Australia’s calls for an inquiry into COVID-19’s origins, Secretary Blinken said:

We have raised publicly and privately our serious concerns about Beijing’s use of economic coercion against Australia – and we’ve made it clear that actions like these targeting our allies will hinder improvements in our relationship with the Chinese Government.

• On September 14, Secretary Blinken testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the subject of Afghanistan, remarking that “there is nothing that strategic competitors like China and Russia – or adversaries like Iran and North Korea – would have liked more than for the United States to re-up a 20-year war and remain bogged down in Afghanistan for another decade.”

Media

• On August 9, Secretary Blinken met with Japanese National Security Advisor Akiba Takeo where, according to a spokesperson, they “reiterated their shared opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and activities that undermine, destabilize, or threaten the rules-based international order,” as well as both nations’ commitment to “preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
• On August 6, the 54th anniversary of the founding of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Secretary Blinken reflected on a week of meetings with the ASEAN Regional Forum, multilateral forums of the Mekong sub-region, and bilateral strategic dialogue with Indonesia. In his remarks, he reiterated the “vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific” that the U.S. shares with members of the bloc, underscored the importance of “ASEAN and ASEAN-led mechanisms as a centerpiece of regional architecture,” and struck a new note by expressing “deep concern with the rapid growth of the PRC’s nuclear arsenal.”

In His Own Words

• On August 15, Secretary Blinken was interviewed by Jake Tapper on CNN to discuss the rapid fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban after the withdrawal of American forces. During the interview, Blinken described a pivot to long-term strategic challenges from rival powers as in the U.S. national interest as opposed to staying bogged down in an unwinnable conflict:

…remaining in Afghanistan for another one, five, ten years is not in the national interest. The British were there for a long time in the 19th century. The Russians were there for a long time in the 20th century. We’ve now been there twice as long as the Russians, and how that’s in our national interest I don’t see. And as I mentioned a moment ago, I think most of our strategic competitors around the world would like nothing better than for us to remain in Afghanistan for another year, five years, ten years and have those resources dedicated to being in the midst of a civil war.

Tapper touched on China specifically when he asked Secretary Blinken if the Biden administration would consider following suit with China’s reported plans to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. Blinken didn’t directly engage with the Chinese question, answering more generally:

A future Afghan government that upholds the basic rights of its people and that doesn’t harbor terrorists is a government we can work with and recognize. Conversely, a government that doesn’t do that – that doesn’t uphold the basic rights of its people, including women and girls; that harbors terrorist groups that have designs on the United States or allies and partners – certainly, that’s not going to happen. 

And beyond that, to the extent that the Taliban has a self-interest if it’s leading the government in Afghanistan of assistance from the international community, support from the international community, none of that will be forthcoming.  Sanctions won’t be lifted, their ability to travel won’t happen if they’re not sustaining the basic rights of the Afghan people and if they revert to supporting or harboring terrorists who might strike us.

• On August 11, Secretary Blinken called on China “to release, immediately and unconditionally, Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig” from “their more than two-and-a-half-year arbitrary detention” following the sentencing of Mr. Spavor in China the previous day. Blinken also noted that “People should never be used as bargaining chips” and described China’s detention of individuals for “leverage over foreign governments” as “completely unacceptable.”
• On August 9, Secretary Blinken delivered a speech at the University of Maryland titled ‘Domestic Renewal as a Foreign Policy Priority.’ Promoting President Biden’s comprehensive infrastructure bill, Blinken underscored the need for public investment U.S. infrastructure for it to be able to compete with rivals internationally:

…in recent decades, our public investment as a share of the economy has fallen more than 40 percent.  We’re still relying heavily on those earlier achievements – schools, roads, and innovations created a long time ago. Meanwhile, other countries have doubled down. For example, China is spending three times as much on infrastructure as we do every year…

We’re falling behind on innovation. Thirty years ago, we ranked number one in the world in terms of how much we invested as a share of our economy in research and development. It’s how we won the space race, mapped the human genome, built the internet. Now we’re number nine. China used to be number eight. Now they’re number two…They’re a rising power. And they’re full speed ahead when it comes to investing in infrastructure, growth, innovation.

But I’m not only talking about China here today.  Many countries are making major investments in their own domestic renewal right now.  For the United States to continue to lead and to successfully bring countries together in common cause for the good of all our people, we have to do the same.

• On August 9, Secretary Blinken spoke at a virtual United Nations Security Council meeting on maritime security where he pushed back at arguments that only states claiming territory in a maritime dispute – in this case, the South China Sea – should have a stake in its resolution:

Freedom of navigation and overflight and the unimpeded flow of lawful maritime commerce are also critical to the security and prosperity of nations and to global stability. The international community has long benefited from a rules-based maritime order where international law, as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, sets out the legal framework for all activities in the ocean and sea…

In the South China Sea, we have seen dangerous encounters between vessels at sea and provocative actions to advance unlawful maritime claims. The United States has made clear its concerns regarding actions that intimidate and bully other states from lawfully accessing their maritime resources…

Some may assert that resolving the dispute in the South China Sea is not the business of the United States or any other country that is not a claimant to the islands and waters. But it is the business and, even more, the responsibility of every member-state to defend the rules that we’ve all agreed to follow and peacefully resolve maritime disputes.

• On August 4, Secretary Blinken welcomed Biden’s direction of an 18-month Deferred Enforced Departure for Hong Kong residents in the United States, describing Biden’s move as providing a “safe haven should residents fear returning to Hong Kong…In the face of PRC and Hong Kong authorities’ attempts to stifle democratic aspirations.”

Media

• On July 13, Secretary Blinken met virtually with foreign ministers of ASEAN member states during the Special ASEAN-U.S. Foreign Ministerial Meeting where, according to a Department of State spokesperson, he reaffirmed the United States’ position on “ASEAN’s essential role in the Indo-Pacific’s regional architecture” and specifically underscored the United States’ solidarity with many ASEAN states in rejecting Chinese “unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea.”
• From July 26–28, Secretary Blinken visited India meeting with his Foreign Affairs counterpart Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a representative of the Dalai Lama. These meetings clarified the scope of the Quad partnership to non-military affairs in the Asia-Pacific region – such as COVID-19 vaccine distribution and climate change – and reaffirmed U.S.-India security cooperation in the wake of India’s border clashes with China and the impending U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In His Own Words

• On July 13, Secretary Blinken attended the Global Emerging Technology Summit, hosted by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, where he remarked that “It’s not enough to highlight the horrors of techno-authoritarianism, to point to what countries like China and Russia are doing, and say that it’s wrong and dangerous, even as it is. We’ve also got to make the positive case for our own approach, and then we’ve got to deliver.” He went on to highlight the need for democracies to cooperate on advancing emerging technologies and developing resilient supply chains for critical technologies such as semiconductors.
• On July 19, Secretary Blinken called for China to be held accountable for its “irresponsible, disruptive, and destabilizing behavior in cyberspace” following the Department of Justice’s indictment of three Chinese Ministry of State Security officers and a contracted hacker on counts of computer fraud and economic espionage.
• During a July 28 interview with the Times of India, Secretary Blinken was asked how he would describe the challenge posed by China to the world. He answered:

I think we’ve seen China…act more repressively at home and more aggressively abroad in recent years. That poses a challenge for all of us…we see a relationship that is in parts adversarial, in parts competitive, and also in parts cooperative. And I think what we’ve found is that whether it’s adversarial, whether it’s competitive, whether it’s cooperative, the most effective way to engage China is working with other countries that are similarly situated and that face similar challenges.

When subsequently asked if he thought the era of cooperation was over, he continued:

No. As I said, I think the relationship has different elements in it. Cooperation remains one of them because on some issues, it’s profoundly in our mutual interest to cooperate, and irrespective of the competition, irrespective of the adversarial nature of parts of the relationship…those interests remain. Climate may be the best example.

• During a July 28 interview with CNN-News18 in India, Blinken described the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (‘the Quad’) between the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia as:

…not a military alliance. What it is, is a group of likeminded democracies…coming together to work cooperatively on issues and matters that are going to affect the lives of citizens in all of our countries, and indeed, in the Indo-Pacific as a whole. And beneath that is the conviction that the Indo-Pacific needs to remain a free and open region, but we’re working together on COVID-19…addressing climate change, and on issues as varied as maritime security to infrastructure projects.

When asked to respond to Chinese claims that the sole purpose of the Quad is to ‘target’ or ‘contain’ China, Blinken responded:

Well, I don’t think that being able to finance, produce, and distribute tens of millions, hundreds of millions of more vaccines is targeting China except in the most positive way…virtually all of the work that we’re doing together is to, in one way or another, improve the lives of people in the region and make sure that it remains free and open.

• During a July 29 interview with Sky News Arabia in Kuwait, the final question for Secretary Blinken probed for an American response to the penetration of China’s Silk Road Initiative in the Middle East. He responded with two points: 

First this is not a question of having to choose between China and the United States. We know that people have relationships…with a variety of countries, including China. But…we know that when it comes to human rights, when it comes to privacy, when it comes to protecting intellectual property, China has a different view of those issues than we do and others do…

Second, in terms of investments, [those] doing business…have to look very carefully at what that might involve…We do, I think, have an alternative vision [to China]…with a focus on making sure that countries don’t take on debt that they can’t manage, with a focus on the rights of workers, being attentive to the environment, making sure that we’re building things to high standards. So, people can decide and make a choice about what makes the most sense for them.

Media

• On June 11, Secretary Blinken held a phone call (MOFA readout) with Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi. Blinken expressed to Yang concern over human rights issues in China as well as the arbitrary detention of the two Canadian citizens. However, Blinken and Yang discussed areas of necessary cooperation, including the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the ongoing crisis in Burma, and more.

In His Own Words

• On June 7 and 8, Secretary Blinken testified before the House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees to defend the proposed Department of State and USAID budgets for the next fiscal year. To confront the many “major tests” facing the United States globally, Blinken asserted that:

We need to revitalize our alliances and partnerships; out-compete China and defend the international rules-based order against those who seek to undermine it; renew democratic values at home and abroad; and push back against malign activity by our adversaries. In a more competitive world, other countries are making historic investments in their foreign policy toolkit.  We need to do the same thing.

• On June 23, 25, and 28, Secretary Blinken participated in joint press conferences with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio as part of President Biden’s eight-day visit to Europe. He reiterated similar remarks on China in each instance:

I think what you’re seeing…is a growing convergence of views in terms of how to deal with China. We recognize that all of our countries have complex and consequential relationships with China that can’t be summed up in a bumper sticker…we’re seeing…adversarial aspects of the relationship, competitive ones, and also cooperative ones. But the common denominator is we’re all going to be more effective in engaging China in any of those areas when we’re working and acting together. And increasingly, we’re demonstrating that we can do that. I think it was evident…at the G7, at NATO, at the U.S.-EU Summit. (June 23, Berlin)

Media

• From May 19-20, Secretary Blinken traveled to Reykjavik, Iceland for the 12th Ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council, where he signed onto the Reykjavik Declaration (2021). 
• During the G7 Ministerial Meeting in the U.K., he met with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian on May 4.
• During Secretary Blinken’s visit to the G7 Ministerial Meeting in the U.K., he met with PM Boris Johnson on May 4 to affirm the alliance between the two countries. According to the readout, they “emphasized the importance of continued U.S.-UK collaboration to lead efforts at NATO, the G7, and with other partners to recover stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic, defend the values of open societies, tackle climate change, and face other global challenges.“

In His Own Words

• Secretary Blinken released a press statement in response to the “Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo) passage on May 27 of new measures that alter the composition of the LegCo and Election Commission severely constrains people in Hong Kong from meaningfully participating in their own governance and having their voices heard.“
• During a May 17 interview with DR-TV in Iceland, Blinken was asked about former Secretary Pompeo making it clear that he did not want China gaining a foothold in Greenland and whether the Biden administration felt the same. Blinken reiterated again that the US does not intend to contain China or hold it back. He continued:
  

  There’s no per se prohibition against China or anyone else.  But play by the rules and make sure that the most sensitive industries or technologies are protected.

• During a May 6 interview with MSNBC, Blinken reiterated the same sentiments from the May 3 interview almost verbatim. When asked what the U.S. ought to do about Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Uyghurs, he replied:
  

  We’ve, I think, shown a few things already.  One is that we’re much stronger and more effective when we’re working with likeminded countries.  And I think our voices have been heard much more strongly and together.  We’ve taken actions together, including sanctions.  We are taking other initiatives, including, for example, when it comes to the atrocities being committed against Uyghurs, trying to make sure that countries are not supplying any equipment or technology that could be used to repress people in China, or that we’re not buying products that are made with forced labor.  There are a number of very concrete steps, but the first and most important step is to speak up, speak out.

• During a May 3 interview with the Financial Times, Blinken characterized how he felt the Anchorage meeting went:
  

  …the case that we made to [Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi] is as follows:  We are not about trying to contain China, or to hold China down.  What we are about is upholding the international rules-based order that we’ve invested so much in over many decades, that has served us well, but not just us; we think, for all its imperfections, it’s served the world pretty well – including, by the way, China.  And anyone who takes action that would disrupt that order, that would challenge that order, that would seek to undermine it, we’re going to stand up and protect it.

Media

• Secretary of State Blinken traveled to Brussels, Belgium on April 13-15, joining Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to consult with NATO Allies and partners on a range of shared priorities. The two released a Joint Statement with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
• On April 8, 2021, Secretary Blinken spoke with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Jr. Both expressed their shared concerns with the massing of PRC maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea, including at Whitsun Reef, and reiterated their calls on the PRC to abide by the 2016 arbitration ruling issued pursuant to the Law of the Sea Convention. Secretary Blinken also reaffirmed the applicability of the 1951 U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty to the South China Sea.

In His Own Words

• On April 16, 2021, Secretary Blinken tweeted:
  

  The sentences of Hong Kong’s democracy activists on politically-motivated charges are unacceptable and incompatible with the non-violent nature of their actions. We call for the release of those detained and imprisoned for exercising fundamental freedoms. #StandWithHongKong

• On April 12, 2021, Secretary Blinken was interviewed by Chuck Todd of NBC News. In this interview, Blinken criticized China’s information sharing during the early stages of COVID-19 and that a stronger global health security system is put in place so that future diseases can be better controlled. He continues:
  

  That means making a real commitment to transparency, to information sharing, to access for experts. It means strengthening the World Health Organization and reforming it… and China has to play a part in that.

• In the same interview, when asked about the U.S. stance on defending Taiwan militarily from China, Blinken responded,
  

  We have a commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act… to make sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and to make sure we’re sustaining peace and security in the western Pacific…. It would be a serious mistake for anyone to change the existing status quo by force.

• Secretary Blinken reaffirmed that labeling China’s actions in Xinjiang as genocide was “exactly the right description” and that the U.S. must continue to “bring the world together and speak with one voice in condemning… what continues to take place.” Further, he argues that this global partnership should make sure that companies do not “provide China with things that they can use to repress populations, including the Uyghur population.” He concludes by saying that the U.S. must still find ways to work with China in other areas “even as we stand resolutely against egregious violations of human rights, or in this case, acts of genocide.”

Media

• On March 23, Secretary Blinken traveled to the NATO Headquarters in Belgium to attend the meetings of Allied Foreign Ministers in preparation of the NATO 2030 Initiative. Both NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Secretary Blinken outlined the rise of China as challenges that must be jointly addressed.

• From March 15-18, Secretary Blinken, along with Defense Secretary Austin, traveled to Tokyo and Seoul to attend a Security Consultative Committee (“2+2”) in both countries. The stated purpose of both trips was to “reaffirm the United States’ commitment to strengthening our alliances and to highlight cooperation that promotes peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world.”  This alliance-building diplomatic trip occurred directly before he and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan would meet their Chinese counterparts in Anchorage, Alaska on March 18, 2021.

• Secretary Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with their Chinese counterparts, Director Yang and State Councilor Wang, in Anchorage, Alaska from March 18 – 19, 2021. The first day of this meeting was characterized with both sides firmly entrenching themselves and trading barbs. 

  For the first time in person, Secretary Blinken crticized “China’s actions in Xinjiang, with regard to Hong Kong, Tibet, increasingly Taiwan, as well as actions that it’s taken in cyberspace.”

  However, despite the fiery beginning, Blinken indicated that areas of mutual interest were also discussed wholeheartedly, such as on Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, climate, and more.

In His Own Words

• Responding to reports of China’s maritime militia gathering near Whitsun Reef, Secretary Blinken tweeted:
  

  The United States stands with our ally, the Philippines, in the face of the PRC’s maritime militia amassing at Whitsun Reef. We will always stand by our allies and stand up for the rules-based international order.

• Antony Blinken delivers his first major speech as Secretary of State
• Secretary Blinken outlined the framework of Biden’s foreign policy in a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing.
• During his press statements following the Anchorage meeting, Blinken outlined that he and Sullivan had achieved what they had set out to accomplish:
  

  the two things that we wanted to do in coming here and meeting with our Chinese counterparts: first, we wanted to share with them the significant concerns that we have about a number of the actions that China’s taken and the behavior it’s exhibiting – concerns shared by our allies and partners. And we did that. We also wanted to lay out very clearly our own policies, priorities, and worldview, and we did that too.

Media

• Secretary Blinken’s Call with PRC Director Yang Jiechi

• On February 18, 2021, Secretary Blinken held a phone call with his counterparts among the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as The Quad. In his discussions with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, each representative reiterated commitments to: 

  the Quad meeting at least annually at the Ministerial level and on a regular basis at senior and working levels to strengthen cooperation on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including support for freedom of navigation and territorial integrity.

• Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports

In His Own Words

• In response to Hong Kong authorities arresting and charging 47 prominent pro-democracy politicians and activists, Secretary Blinken tweeted on February 28, 2021:
  

  We condemn the detention of and charges filed against pan-democratic candidates in Hong Kong’s elections and call for their immediate release. Political participation and freedom of expression should not be crimes. The U.S. stands with the people of Hong Kong.

In His Own Words

In His Own Words