'Clear who is responsible for worsening relations: China FM to Blinken

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Jun 2023 13:28

In a phone call with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, tells Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang that the US seeks to "maintain open channels of communication."

An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017 (AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call, on Wednesday, with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang which "discussed ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication as well as bilateral and global issues."

The phone call took place ahead of Blinken's anticipated visit to Beijing which is set to take place on Sunday. Over the past years, the relations between Washington and Beijing have gravely deteriorated especially following the Taiwan debacle.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also claimed that Blinken had underscored "the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the US-PRC relationship to avoid miscalculation and conflict."

Miller further added that the Secretary had "made clear the US would continue to use diplomatic engagements to raise areas of concern as well as areas of potential cooperation."

In turn, a readout by the Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that Qin warned Blinken that relations between Beijing and Washington faced "new difficulties and challenges" since the start of 2023 highlighting that "it's clear who is responsible."

"China has always viewed and managed China-US relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation put forward by President Xi Jinping," Qin added.

US citizens evacuation plan from Taiwan in the works: The Messenger

Sources have revealed to The Messenger that the United States government may be hashing up an evacuation plan for Americans in Taiwan.

According to an anonymous US intelligence official, the plan has been in the works for the last 6 months and has "heated up over the past two months or so," due to high tensions recently.

“It’s nothing you wouldn’t read in the news,” the source explained. “Forces building up. China aligning with Russia on Ukraine.”

In April, Taiwan's Foreign Minister revealed that Taipei is preparing for a conflict with China in 2027.

The US administration has not publicly disclosed the plans and the request for comment was turned down by the State Department. Pentagon Spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners would not comment directly on the matter, but he did divulge that the US does not see a possible conflict as "imminent or inevitable."

According to the sources, the plan has been kept quiet due to it being a sensitive spot for the government of Taiwan.

A former State Department official divulged that even "prudent planning" could have some people thinking something may be going on

Over 80,000 Americans lived in Taiwan in 2019. Mark Cancian, a senior counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, assisted in the evacuation of Americans from Saigon in 1975. He noted that they are merely backup measures. “The fact that the U.S. is doing this doesn't mean that they expect there will be a war. It’s only a statement that there could be a war.”

If evacuations are required, hundreds of thousands of additional foreigners in Taiwan - as well as Taiwanese people - are likely to be on primary routes between any two sites, not including the hilly island's numerous tunnels.