Blinken meets Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Munich

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, discussing a number of issues including the Taiwan Strait, the Russian war in Ukraine, and the Middle East.

"The two sides had a candid and constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage competition in the relationship," State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Blinken emphasized the importance of "continuing to implement the progress made by the two Presidents at the Woodside Summit including on counternarcotics cooperation and military-to-military communications", Miller said.

Top US diplomat also emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea and had discussions on a range of regional and global issues, according to his spokesman.

Blinken raised concerns over China's support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, including support to the Russian defense industrial base, according to the statement.

"The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and on the Korean Peninsula and affirmed that their respective senior officials should meet to follow up on these discussions," Miller said, "The Secretary discussed his recent travel in the Middle East and U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region."

The two diplomats also agreed on consultations and high-level meetings in key areas in the coming months.