As US secretary of state Antony Blinken met China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in Rome, Chinese jets entered Taiwan’s air defence zone on Sunday. Taiwan said eight Chinese jets had entered its territory as the country scrambled its Air Force.

The aircraft included J-16 fighters, one anti-submarine aircraft and one surveillance aircraft.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken had met China’s foreign minister Wang Yi earlier on Sunday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome as he told his Chinese counterpart that the US opposes China’s action on Taiwan.

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Blinken asserted that the US continues to follow the “One-China” policy regarding Taiwan. China has repeatedly sent its fighter jets to Taiwan this month amid escalating tensions between the two counties. 

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China considers Taiwan as its territory which it has threatened to take by force if necessary. Earlier this month China had sent a record 56 warplanes to Taiwan amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

Blinken also raised concern over Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong and asserted that China’s actions “run counter to our values and interests including actions related to human rights”.

The US secretary of state also emphasised that the Biden administration and the Chinese regime can work together on the Mynamar crisis, North Korea issue, Iran, Afghanistan and climate change.

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“Secretary 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,” the US State Department said.

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The meeting between the two diplomats reportedly lasted for an hour which was their second face-to-face session. 

(With inputs from Agencies)