US Secy Blinken to visit Japan to offer condolences over Shinzo Abe's death

Washington [US], July 10 (ANI)

US State Secretary Antony Blinken will visit Tokyo on Monday to offer condolences to the Japanese people on the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, State Department said.

During his visit to Japan, Blinken will also meet senior Japanese officials. "Secretary Blinken will travel to Tokyo, Japan, to offer condolences to the Japanese people on the death of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and to meet with senior Japanese officials. The U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and has never been stronger," the press release said.

Blinken left Bali, Indonesia after attending the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting. During the G20 meeting, Blinken reinforced US' commitment to working with international partners to confront global challenges, including food and energy insecurity and the threat Russia's continued war against Ukraine presents to the international order.

In addition to attending G20-related engagements, the Secretary held bilateral meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. Among other bilateral engagements, Secretary Blinken also met with the People's Republic of China (PRC) State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the G20.

Blinken's meeting with Wang Yi in Bali was a bid to reinforce guardrails on the relationship between Washington and Beijing that had become fraught with hostility.

"In a relationship as complex and consequential as the one between the United States and China, there is a lot to talk about. I very much am looking forward to a productive and construction conversation with you." said Blinken according to a statement by the US State Department ahead of the meeting.

"There is no substitute for face-to-face diplomacy," Blinken added.

Blinken and Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi last met in Rome, Italy in October 2021. Blinken underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC).

During that meeting, Blinken raised concerns about a range of PRC actions that undermine the international rules-based order and that run counter to our values and interests and those of our allies and partners, including actions related to human rights, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, the East and South China Seas, and Taiwan.

As part of his travel from July 6-11, 2022, Blinken will also travel to Indonesia, Bangkok, Thailand, and Tokyo, Japan.

In Bangkok, Thailand, Secretary Blinken will meet with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

Blinken will hold discussion on a range of issues, including building on the successes of Thailand's APEC 2022 agenda during US' 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) host year, expanding health and climate cooperation, and addressing the crisis in Burma.

He will also meet with alumni of U.S. exchange programs. The U.S-Thai Alliance is essential for advancing the President's Indo-Pacific Strategy for a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient region, the press release added.