The United States and China want order in the world, but Beijing favors an "anti-liberal" world order, which explains the competition between the two countries, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday.
"Throughout, especially after World War II, it has been clear that the world does not organize itself. And the choice for the United States is this. If we don't take the lead in this, then one of two things happens: either somebody else does it, perhaps China, and again, probably not in a way that fully reflects our interests and values, or, which is also bad, nobody does it, and then there is a vacuum that is filled with something bad before it is filled with something good," the foreign policy chief claimed, speaking at Stanford University (California). The event was broadcast live on the State Department website.
The secretary of state stressed that the US is interested in playing a leading role in the process of organizing the world. "In my opinion, China also wants order, but it is an anti-liberal one. The order we seek is not perfect, but it is more liberal. And that's the essence of this competition," the US diplomatic chief said when asked to comment on the opening of the 20th Chinese Communist Party, which runs through October 22.
Blinken added that Beijing's actions recently "have become more aggressive abroad, and in many cases they represent a challenge to Washington's interests as well as values." "This [US-China] relationship is one of the most important we have. It's one of the most complex relationships. And in recent years, we've seen the emergence of really hostile aspects in that relationship," the secretary of state believes.
In his view, "the world expects" that the PRC and the United States will find ways to cooperate to solve key international problems, this cannot be overlooked. It's about climate issues, global health, drug control. "We know we can't deal with the climate problem the way we should if China is not part of the picture. It has to decide, we can't decide for it. It has to decide if it's in its best interest," Blinken believes.
"The same goes for global health. And it's not about looking for someone to blame for the pandemic. It's about figuring out how we can build a more robust global health system so that something like this doesn't happen again. China must be part of that solution," the secretary of state added.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS