New Delhi: Describing America’s relationship with China as the “biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century”, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Wednesday said the Asian powerhouse is the only country with the economic, diplomatic, military and technological capability to seriously challenge the stable and open international system.
“We will manage the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century: our relationship with China. Several countries present us with serious challenges including, Russia, Iran, North Korea and there are serious crises we have to deal with, including in Yemen, Ethiopia and Burma. But the challenges posed by China are different, Blinken said, as he unveiled the eight key foreign policy focus areas of the Joe Biden Administration.
China is the only country with the economic, diplomatic military and technological power to seriously challenge the stable and open international system.
“All the rules, values and relationships that make the world work the way we want it to, because it ultimately serves the interests and reflects the values of the American people. Our relationship with China will be competitive when it should be. Collaborative when it can be and adversarial when it must be,” Blinken said.
The common denominator is the need to engage China from a position of strength. That requires working with allies and partners, not denigrating them. Because our combined weight is much harder for China to ignore,” he said.