United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken termed US relations with China as the “biggest geopolitical test of the century”, adding that the US would confront the East Asian country if required. This marks Blinken’s first major speech since President Joe Biden was officially sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.
““We will manage the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century: our relationship with China,” said Blinken, adding that the US vows to advocate for the rights of the ethnic Uighurs and Hong Kong. He said that if this was left unchecked, China would act with greater ‘impunity’.
“China is the only country with the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to seriously challenge the stable and open international system — all the rules, values and relationships that make the world work the way we want it to,” Blinken stated.
“Our relationship with China will be competitive when it should be, collaborative when it can be and adversarial when it must be. And we will engage China from a position of strength,” he added.
