Blinken meets Wang, raises rights concerns

He also noted areas of common interests

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday in Rome and raised concerns over human rights, in only their second face-to-face session as tensions between the two powers run high.

Mr. Blinken expressed opposition to actions by China “that run counter to our values and interests... including actions related to human rights, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, the East and South China Seas, and Taiwan,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

Mr. Blinken also noted areas where he said the U.S. and China’s interests intersect and they can work together, including “the DPRK, Burma, Iran, Afghanistan, and the climate crisis.”