Page 11 - Antony Blinken

China's foreign min airs concerns in call with Blinken ahead of visit

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shared concerns on a phone call Wednesday ahead of a planned visit by the U.S. official to China meant to shore up relations. Spoke tonight with PRC State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang by phone, Blinken's official Twitter account read. Discussed ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication as well as bilateral and global issues. The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on one of its social media pages that Qin urged the United States to respect China's core concerns such as the issue of Taiwan's self-rule, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and stop harming China's sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition. Qin noted China-U.S. ties have encountered new difficulties and challenges since the beginning of the year, and the two sides' responsibility is to work together to properly manage differences, promote exchanges and ...

PM Narendra Modi to visit US from June 21 to 25: What is a state visit?

The last state visit to the US was made by the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh between November 23 and 25, 2009

Blinken talks of 'reducing strategic dependencies' ahead of Modi visit

"Central to all of this cooperation is diversifying and deepening our supply chains with trusted countries, also reducing strategic dependencies," he said

Blinken to travel to China next week as Biden admin pushes to improve ties

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to travel to China this month as the Biden administration pushes to improve badly deteriorated ties with the Chinese. U.S. officials say Blinken expects to be in Beijing on June 18 for meetings with senior Chinese officials, including with Foreign Minister Qin Gang and possibly President Xi Jinping. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the State Department nor the Chinese foreign ministry have yet confirmed the trip. The visit, which was agreed between Xi and President Joe Biden last year at a meeting in Bali, had been initially planned for February but was postponed after the spy balloon incident in which the U.S. shot down a Chinese aircraft that Beijing insisted was a weather balloon that had strayed off course. Since then, there have been contacts between the U.S. and China, but they have been rare as tensions have risen over China's conduct in the South China Sea, aggressive actions toward Taiwan and suppor

US' Antony Blinken announces $150M aid for Syria, Iraq at Saudi conference

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the U.S. would provide nearly USD 150 million in aid for areas in Syria and Iraq that were liberated from the Isamic State extremist group. He spoke at a ministerial conference hosted by Saudi Arabia on combatting the group, which no longer controls any territory but whose affiliates still carry out attacks across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS includes more than 80 countries and continues to coordinate action against the extremist group, which at its height controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq. Blinken said the U.S. pledge is part of new funding amounting to more than USD 600 million. Poor security and humanitarian conditions. Lack of economic opportunity. These are the fuel for the kind of desperation on which ISIS feeds and recruits, he said, using a common acronym for the extremist group. So we have to stay committed to our stabilisation goals. Blinken co-hosted the conference as pa

No Ukraine cease-fire without deal that includes Russia withdrawal: Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that there can be no cease-fire in the war in Ukraine unless it is part of a just and lasting peace deal that includes Russia's military withdrawal. Blinken said that a cease-fire that simply freezes current lines in place - and enables Putin to consolidate control over the territory he has seized, and rest, rearm, and reattack - that is not a just and lasting peace. Russia must also pay a share of Ukraine's reconstruction and be held accountable for launching its full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022, Blinken said in a speech during a visit to Finland, which recently joined NATO and shares a long border with Russia. Allowing Moscow to keep the one-fifth of Ukraine territory it has occupied would send the wrong message to Russia and to other would-be aggressors around the world, according to Blinken. Washington is ready to support peace efforts by other countries, including recent overtures from China and Brazil, h

Modi's visit will celebrate deep partnership between India and US: Blinken

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US next month will celebrate the "deep partnership" between the two countries, America's top diplomat said on Sunday as he met his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar here. Modi will embark on his state visit to the US next month on an invitation by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The US president and the First Lady will also host Modi at a state dinner on June 22. His visit to the US comes ahead of the G20 Summit being hosted by India in September. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had a "great discussion" with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on the margins of the G7 summit. "We look forward to hosting Indian Prime Minister @NarendraModi in June, whose visit will celebrate the deep partnership between the United States and India," Blinken tweeted on Sunday. Jaishankar thanked Blinken and said he was looking forward to the visit. "Thanks @SecBlinken. Was great to catch up! Looking forward to PM @narendramodi's

China warns against 'geopolitical games'; Blinken to visit Papua New Guinea

China on Friday warned against the introduction of geopolitical games in the South Pacific following the announcement that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Papua New Guinea next week. The U.S. opted to send Blinken after President Joe Biden cancelled what was to have been a historic stop in Papua New Guinea as well as a visit to Australia for a meeting of leaders of the so-called Quad partnership so he can focus on debt limit talks in Washington. The administration has made putting a greater focus on the Pacific region central to its global outreach, largely to counter China's growing influence there. China has no objection to normal exchanges and cooperation between relevant parties and Pacific Island countries, and has always advocated that the international community should pay more attention to and support the development and revitalisation of the island countries, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing. However, Wang added, We also

US-India partnership one of most consequential relations: US Dept of State

"PM Modi's visit is an opportunity to deepen some of these partnerships," he added

US-China shares deeply complicated, consequential relationship: Blinken

The United States has a very deeply complicated and consequential relationship with China, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, adding that engagement between the two countries is the key. He also said that it is in the interest of the US and China to establish and strengthen their lines of communication -- something that the rest of the world "expects us to do". "What we have communicated to our colleagues in the government in Beijing is the importance from our perspective in engagement, precisely because we have a deeply complicated and also consequential relationship that is important to people in the United States and China," Blinken told reporters at a news conference along with his British counterpart Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. "But beyond that around the world; that our two presidents agreed when they met in Bali at the end of last year that it would be important to establish and strengthen our lines of communication; and that we believe that that's in our .

Blinken intends to go to China as soon as conditions allow: US State dept

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken intends to travel to China as soon as the conditions allow, his spokesperson said Monday. Blinken was scheduled to travel to China early this year. This was cancelled days before his visit after the US detected a Chinese spy balloon in its skies. "He intends to go, and he intends to go as soon as conditions allow and we're able to get that trip back on the books," State Department's Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily news conference. Earlier in the day, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns met Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing. "We maintain important lines of communications with a number of officials across the PRC (People's Republic of China). Obviously, that will relate to the respective individual and who their appropriate counterpart was. As you know, when Secretary Blinken was secretary and obviously when Foreign Minister Qin Gang was ambassador to the United States, they had a number of opportunities to

Blinken threatened to be held in contempt over US' Afghanistan withdrawal

"Chairman McCaul threatened to hold Secretary Blinken in contempt of Congress and/or initiate a civil enforcement process if the department fails to produce the subpoenaed documents"

Warring sides in Sudan conflict agree to 72-hour ceasefire, says Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the warring parties in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.

Zomato says most of strike-hit Blinkit stores resumed operations

Most of the stores of quick commerce player Blinkit have resumed operations after being affected by strike of delivery partners, according to a regulatory filing by Zomato. Blinkit, formerly known as Grofers India, was acquired last year by Zomato. Recently the operations of the platform were affected by the strike of delivery partners who were protesting against reduction in payouts per order. "We had to shut down some stores for a few days to ensure safety of our employees at stores and the delivery partners. Most of these stores have now resumed operations," Zomato said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. The company further said, "Over the last few days we have made changes in the delivery partner payout structure with respect to the Blinkit business to address the needs of delivery partners, improve customer experience and reduce cancellation/order rejection, frauds by few delivery partners in the system. Such changes are done from time to time, as needed." It, however, did n

Finland to join NATO military alliance this week, says chief Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will become the 31st member of the military alliance on Tuesday. From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance, Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland's membership, will hand its official texts to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday as NATO foreign ministers gather in Brussels. Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same. A flag raising ceremony to add the Finnish flag to those of the other members will take place at NATO headquarters at on Tuesday afternoon.

Lavrov, Blinken discuss detained Wall Street Journal reporter over phone

Lavrov expressed opposition to attempts of US officials and the Western media to politicise the legal case

Indo-American Vedant Patel to serve as US State Dept's interim spokesperson

According to the announcement made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Patel will take over the position of interim spokesperson

G20's Ukraine problem

War rather than multilateral issues dominates

Antony Blinken meets Ukraine's Foreign Minister, reiterates US support

Blinken on Wednesday arrived in India to take part in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the Raisina Dialogue

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