US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a phone conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, 12 November, conveyed his worries over Mainland China's unabated military, diplomatic and economic pressure on the island of Taiwan, the Strait Times reported.
Blinken urged China "to engage in meaningful dialogue" to deescalate cross-strait tensions "peacefully and in a manner consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people in Taiwan", US Department of State spokesman Ned Price stated on Saturday, 13 November.
They also discussed the upcoming virtual meeting between President Biden and President Xi.
Talking about the meeting, Price also said that "it presents an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss how to responsibly manage competition between the United States and the PRC while working together in areas where interests align".
Blinken's Chinese counterpart Wang Yi also put a statement on Saturday, 13 November, in which he claimed to have told Antony Blinken not to "send wrong signals" to Taiwan pro-independence forces, Reuters added.
A history of the tensions between the US, China, and Taiwan can be found here.
Cross-strait tensions have escalated recently since 148 Chinese aircraft were flown into Taiwan's air defence zone (ADZ).
(With inputs from The Strait Times and Reuters)
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