SAN FRANCISCO, California: United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called for Pacific Rim nations to be free to choose their own partners, a veiled criticism of China on the eve of a presidential summit. Addressing ministers from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco, California, Blinken quoted a 2020 statement of the group that called for an "open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community." United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during an APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM) Opening Session at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, California on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. AFP PHOTO United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during an APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM) Opening Session at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, California on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Both countries have voiced hope, in different ways, of bringing more stability to the fraught relationship between the world's two largest economies.

Source: Manila Times November 15, 2023 00:06 UTC