US hails 'productive' meeting between Blinken and China FM

Vientiane: The United States hailed "open and productive" discussions between China's foreign minister and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Laos on Saturday in which Blinken raised US concerns over Beijing's "provocative actions" around Taiwan.

The US top diplomat and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi "had open and productive discussions on key bilateral, regional, and global issues," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

The talks on the sidelines of a foreign ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) lasted for one hour and twenty minutes, a senior State Department Official said.

The official said Blinken had raised "US concerns about provocative actions that China has taken recently, including a simulated blockade around the time of the inauguration" of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te.

"They had an extended conversation about Taiwan," the official said.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to bring the democratic island under its rule, by force if necessary.

Following Lai's inauguration in May, China encircled Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft during war games.

The drills followed an inauguration speech by Lai that China denounced as a "confession of independence".

Blinken also raised human rights issues in Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong, the official said, as well as China's support for Russia as it wages war in Ukraine.

Blinken also "raised the issue of wrongful detainees held in China and the need to make progress on that," the official said.