March 16, 2021

WASHINGTON — From Japanese soil, Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed China’s sweeping use of “coercion and aggression” on the international stage and warned that the U.S. will mount pushback if necessary.

“China uses coercion and aggression to systematically erode autonomy in Hong Kong, undercut democracy in Taiwan, abuse human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and assert maritime claims in the South China Sea that violate international law,” Blinken said at a news conference.

“We’re united in the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, where countries follow the rules, cooperate whenever they can, and resolve their differences peacefully. And in particular, we will push back if necessary when China uses coercion or aggression to get its way,” he added.

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