Blinken hits out at China, seeks to rally allies in Asia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivering remarks on the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific strategy at the Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia on Dec 14, 2021. - AFP

JAKARTA (Bloomberg): Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised China’s "aggressive actions” in Asia while laying out plans to more closely integrate US allies and security partners in Asia.

During a key policy speech in Jakarta on Tuesday (Dec 14), Blinken underscored US efforts to deliver high-quality infrastructure and vaccines to the region while working closer on security issues. He said the Biden administration doesn’t want conflict in Asia, and would ensure competition with China doesn’t veer into a "catastrophic” conflict.