If China invades Taiwan, it would have terrible consequences, he said Friday, and he hopes Chinese leaders would think very carefully about not precipitating a crisis across the Taiwan Strait.
Blinken, speaking at the Reuters Next conference, said that China was trying to change the status quo over self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, and that the United States is resolutely committed to making sure the island has the means to defend itself.
But here again, I hope that China s leaders think very carefully about this and not about precipitating a crisis that would have terrible consequences for lots of people and one that is in no one's interest, starting with China, Blinken said.
Asked if the United States could send military forces in the event of an invasion, Blinken said, "We have been very clear and consistently clear over many years that we are committed to making sure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself and we will continue to make good on that commitment." President Joe Biden s administration has been trying to carve out more space for Taiwan in the international system despite what it says is Beijing's coercive military and diplomatic efforts to isolate the democratically governed island.
In October he said that the United States, which is obliged by a 1979 law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, would come to Taiwan's defense if China attacked.
China is President Joe Biden's number one foreign policy priority, but his administration has also been hampered by crises elsewhere including the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Russia's military buildup near Ukraine and the spiralling conflict in Ethiopia.
Biden is expected to speak to President Vladimir Putin in the near future, and he will tell the Russian leader that Washington is determined to stand up against any reckless or aggressive actions, Blinken said. He said that the United States wants a more predictable relationship with Russia.
There are areas where we have overlapping interests and we should be able to work together if we can have some stability and predictability in the relationship. Russia's actions and the threat of further aggression against Ukraine move in exactly the opposite direction, Blinken said.