Beijing, China – The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday spoke over the phone to discuss the war in Gaza.
“The Secretary discussed his recent travel in the Middle East and U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region,” the US State Department statement said. “The Secretary reiterated the imperative of all parties working to prevent the conflict from spreading.”
Blinken also discussed Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
“The Secretary underscored that the recent Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea pose an unacceptable threat to maritime security and international law that all nations have an obligation to uphold,” the statement read.
Discussing bilateral ties, the two sides, according to the statement “emphasized the importance of building upon the progress made on key issues in the Summit between President Biden and President Xi last month in Woodside, California.”
Wang during the conversation placed high priority on the ceasefire in Gaza and ceasing the fighting “as soon as possible,” Reuters reported.
He also stressed that the United States should fully understand the importance of the Taiwan issue to China, and that Kissinger’s diplomatic legacy is worthy of being carried forward and developed by future generations.
Blinken also thanked Wang for going to the US Embassy in China to express his condolences to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, said the Chinese foreign ministry, Reuters added.
Henry Kissinger, the renowned US diplomat of the Cold War era, who helped Washington reach out to China, died last week.
“Dr. Kissinger has always advocated that China and the United States should respect each other, evolve together, and fulfill their international responsibilities,” Wang was quoted as saying in the phone call by the Reuters.
Wang and Blinken also emphasised the importance of building upon progress made on key issues in the summit between the countries’ respective presidents in California in November, according to statements from their respective departments.