US Secretary Of State Antony Blinken Heads To Asia As Ukraine Crisis Boils
NDTV
Blinken will spend three days in Melbourne for a meeting with foreign ministers of the Quad, the informal US-Japan-India-Australia grouping that Washington hopes will become a bulwark against Beijing's push for regional dominance.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed for the Asia-Pacific on Tuesday aiming to shore up regional partnerships in the face of an expansive China, even as the crisis on Ukraine's border simmers. Departing Washington for an important trip to the Indo-Pacific region. Looking forward to productive meetings with leaders and communities to promote our shared values and advance our goals in the #IndoPacific. pic.twitter.com/mKZUGw6GOh
Blinken will spend three days in Melbourne for a meeting with foreign ministers of the Quad, the informal US-Japan-India-Australia grouping that Washington hopes will become a bulwark against Beijing's push for regional dominance.
The visit will include meetings with senior Australian officials, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, as they seek to build on September's AUKUS trilateral defense pact with Britain. The shock challenge to China included a Washington-Canberra deal to buy eight nuclear-powered submarines.
His trip comes only hours after a Washington press conference with top EU officials sought to show a united front on the threat presented by the estimated 1,40,000 Russian troops now massed on Ukraine's border.
