[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister in charge of diplomacy, is not planning to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken at the ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meeting held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the English edition of China's Global Times reported on the 3rd.
The Global Times emphasized, "Tensions are escalating due to Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan," adding, "Observers view this decision (cancellation of the meeting) as a signal reflecting the seriousness of the visit and China's anger at U.S. provocations."
Additionally, Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular briefing the previous day that Minister Wang Yi plans to exchange views with the foreign ministers of Laos, Brunei, Japan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, but has no plans to meet with Secretary Blinken.
Earlier, major foreign media had predicted that the U.S. and Chinese foreign ministers would hold a meeting during the foreign ministers' meeting from the 3rd to the 5th. However, Wang Yi will attend the meeting but focus on discussing regional security and development, COVID-19, and ways to cope with increased uncertainties due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the Global Times reported.
Jiang Tengjun, Deputy Director of the Asia-Pacific Research Institute at the China Institute of International Studies, assessed, "Minister Wang no longer needs to meet and talk with Secretary Blinken," adding, "We have already said what needed to be said and done what needed to be done." He further explained, "The U.S. has received all necessary information, but Secretary Blinken is speaking incorrectly."
Secretary Blinken stated at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on the 1st, "After Speaker Pelosi decided to visit Taiwan, it is entirely up to China whether to create any kind of crisis or escalate tensions."
In response, spokesperson Hua Chunying emphasized, "The whole world clearly sees that the U.S. was the first to provoke and escalate tensions," adding, "The U.S. must take full responsibility for the situation."
"The world clearly knows that tensions in the Taiwan Strait have escalated due to U.S. provocations. The U.S. must be held accountable for all of this," she said, criticizing, "Secretary Blinken's related remarks deliberately distort the facts and once again reveal the U.S.' hegemonic mindset and logic akin to that of a robber."
The Global Times also stated, "Experts believe that Speaker Pelosi's visit has rendered meaningless the long-cherished peace and stability of ASEAN and East Asian countries, as well as the talks."
It further reported that Xu Liping of the Southeast Asia Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences called the visit "a problematic trip and an inappropriate political farce," noting, "Highlighting the Taiwan issue while the Ukraine crisis remains unresolved is harmful to regional stability."
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