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[[U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday outlined how the Biden administration is approaching relations with China, calling Beijing a “long-term challenge” to what he called “universal values that have sustained so much of the world’s progress over the past 75 years.” VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.]]
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptUS-China Policy
HEADLINE: US Secretary of State Outlines China Policy: Invest, Align, Compete
TEASER: Antony Blinken emphasizes that US stance of 'strategic ambiguity' has not changed despite president's comments earlier this week
PUBLISHED AT: 5/26/22 at 8:29 pm
BYLINE: Anita Powell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: White House
VIDEOGRAPHER: none
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: AP, Reifenrath, DJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP ZOOM (WITH LICENSE)
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:42
VID APPROVED BY: Holly Franko
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO:))
[[U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday outlined how the Biden administration is approaching relations with China, calling Beijing a “long-term challenge” to what he called “universal values that have sustained so much of the world’s progress over the past 75 years.” VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.]]
((NARRATOR))
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. policy toward China comes down to three words: invest, align and compete.
((Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State))
“We will invest in the foundations of our strength here at home — our competitiveness, our innovation, our democracy. We will align our efforts with our network of allies and partners acting with common purpose and in common cause, and harnessing these two key assets, we’ll compete with China to defend our interests and build our vision for the future. We take on this challenge with confidence.”
((NARRATOR))
Blinken said that Washington was not seeking conflict with Beijing, and that the United States was committed to defending international law and institutions that he said China wanted to move away from.
((Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State))
“Under President Xi (Jinping), the ruling Chinese Communist Party has become more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad. We see that in how Beijing has perfected mass surveillance within China and exported that technology to more than 80 countries. How it's advancing unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, undermining peace and security, freedom of navigation and commerce.”
((NARRATOR))
As United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet visits China to assess conditions in Xinjiang, where Beijing is accused of imprisoning scores of ethnic Uyghurs, Blinken stressed that the U.S. also remains focused on Beijing’s human rights abuses.
((Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State))
“Its treatment of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, along with many other actions, go against the core tenets of the U.N. Charter that Beijing constantly cites, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that all countries are meant to adhere to. Beijing's quashing of freedom in Hong Kong violates its handover commitments enshrined in a treaty deposited at the United Nations.”
((NARRATOR))
On Monday, President Joe Biden had said the U.S. was willing to use its military to defend Taiwan, which would have been a shift from the U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity” in which officials have stopped short of such making such pledges. Blinken said U.S. policy remained the same.
((U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken))
“While our policy has not changed, what has changed is Beijing's growing coercion by trying to cut off Taiwan's relations with countries around the world and blocking it from participating in international organizations. And Beijing is engaged in increasingly provocative rhetoric and activity like flying PLA aircraft near Taiwan on an almost daily basis. These words and actions are deeply destabilizing; they risk miscalculation and threaten the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.”
((NARRATOR))
The secretary of state noted the U.S. does not want to “decouple” from China; instead, it wants to continue trade and investment with the Asian superpower as long it’s “fair and does not jeopardize” U.S. national security.
((Anita Powell, VOA News, the White House))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)the White House
Embargo DateMay 26, 2022 20:18 EDT
Byline((Anita Powell, VOA News, the White House))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
