US and UK Discuss Peace in Taiwan Strait and South China Sea
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy met in London to discuss mutual measures needed to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea. They launched the ‘UK-US Strategic Dialogue’ and emphasized the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.
After the meeting, Blinken stated at a joint press conference that the two discussed how to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as well as freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. He highlighted the firm transatlantic support aligned with NATO allies, Indo-Pacific partners, and over 50 countries that continue to back Ukraine. Blinken criticized Beijing for enabling Russia to continue its war against Ukraine by being its biggest supplier of machine tools and microelectronics.
The secretary of state mentioned ongoing talks on trilateral cooperation with Australia via AUKUS, particularly concerning nuclear-powered submarines. He said this shows surging efforts to connect allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, emphasizing that what happens in one theatre impacts the other.
Blinken and Lammy covered joint efforts to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and freedom of navigation and overflight of the South China Sea. Blinken stressed that maintaining peace and stability and preserving the status quo is essential not just to the US and UK but to countries all around the world.
Meanwhile, Taiwan reports daily Chinese military activity near its territory. So far this month, Taiwan has tracked 158 Chinese military aircraft and 88 ships. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan. Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949, but China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.
Doubts Revealed
Taiwan Strait -: The Taiwan Strait is a narrow body of water that separates Taiwan and China. It’s important because many ships pass through it, and there are tensions between Taiwan and China.
South China Sea -: The South China Sea is a large sea in Asia, surrounded by countries like China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. It’s important for shipping and has many valuable resources like fish and oil.
Antony Blinken -: Antony Blinken is the US Secretary of State, which means he is in charge of the US’s relationships with other countries.
David Lammy -: David Lammy is the UK Foreign Secretary, which means he is responsible for the UK’s relationships with other countries.
UK-US Strategic Dialogue -: The UK-US Strategic Dialogue is a meeting where leaders from the UK and US talk about important issues and how they can work together to solve them.
freedom of navigation and overflight -: Freedom of navigation and overflight means that ships and planes from any country can travel through or over certain areas without being stopped.
AUKUS -: AUKUS is a partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US. They work together on defense and security, including building nuclear-powered submarines.
nuclear-powered submarines -: Nuclear-powered submarines are submarines that use nuclear energy to move. They can stay underwater for a long time without needing to come up for air.
