MANILA — The Philippines foreign minister on Saturday told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the region can ill afford an escalation of regional tensions over the Taiwan Strait.
Blinken, in a virtual meeting with Philippines Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, said Washington was determined to avoid a crisis. He also stressed that relations between the two defense treaty allies have never been more important.
—Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Writing by Martin PettyEditing by Shri Navaratnam
