Washington D.C, 27 May 2022 (TDI): The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, outlined Biden Administration’s strategy and views on China in a speech at George Washington University.
The Secretary of State began his speech by thanking the audience, which comprised students, scholars, and the diplomatic corps. He remarked that the Covid19 was a challenge that the world overcame through collective efforts.
Consequently, the US has again deemed diplomacy and multilateralism as the primary instruments of conducting its foreign affairs. He remarked that the US seeks a world of economic opportunity, human rights, and free movement of goods and people.
“To that end”, he proclaimed, “We must defend and reform the rules-based international order.” He further said that the post-WW2 rules-based order somewhat succeeded to advance the ideals set by the UN charter.
He said that the US wants to maintain and modernize this international order in the face of new challenges.
Afterward, he discussed the challenges facing the US-desired international order. Recalling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, he said that the Russian leadership poses an active challenge to the rules-based order.
However, the US will remain focused on China, which Antony Blinken termed as “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order”.
He proclaimed that China intends to reshape the international order and possesses the power to achieve its goals. He summed up his views on China in general, saying that China has undermined the order under which it thrived.
Furthermore, he brought up China’s relations with Russia and human rights allegations against China to support Biden Administration’s views.
Afterward, Antony Blinken laid out his government’s strategy to counter China’s global ambitions.
Invest, Align, Compete
Blinken proclaimed that the strategy to counter China can be summarized as “invest, align, compete”. Firstly, the US plans to invest in the promotion of its values within, aiming to strengthen democracy and innovation.
Secondly, it seeks to align its policies with its allies and partners, signaling a multilateral approach for a common purpose. Thirdly, the US will compete with China in building and defending its own interests in the international order.
Moreover, Secretary Blinken explained each of these in detail and presented the government’s actions in pursuit of this strategy.
He reiterated US’ stance on Taiwan. That is, the US will continue to adhere to the ‘One China’ policy, but will retain relations with Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act.
Finally, he laid out points on which both countries can cooperate. Such issues of mutual interest include climate change, Covid19, anti-narcotics, and food security.
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