Blinken Blasts ‘Aggressive’ China in Indo-Pacific Policy Speech

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a policy speech on Dec. 14 that the United States will “advance a free and open Indo–Pacific,” and hit out at China for its aggressive actions in the region. Antony Blinken has criticized “Beijing’s aggressive actions” against its neighbors and upheld Washington’s commitment to an Indo-Pacific region “free from coercion and accessible to all” in the U.S. secretary of state’s first visit to south-east Asia since taking office. The speech in Jakarta broke little new ground, said analysts, but they felt it might bolster U.S. credibility in the region, which included a trade…