US rallies Asia allies to push back against China’s territorial claims

Michael Smith and Emma Connors

Mar 17, 2021 – 5.57pm

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The Biden administration has singled out China’s territorial claims in the East and South China Seas as key areas for US concern, raising the likelihood Australia will be asked to provide military support in the region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Seoul on Wednesday following high-level meetings in Tokyo, where senior ministers from both countries held their first face-to-face talks as part of a wider effort by the new US president to rally support for a unified pushback on China’s aggressive foreign policies.

Michael Smith is the health editor for The Australian Financial Review. He is based in Sydney.

Emma Connors was South-east Asia correspondent from October 2019 until mid-2023, based in Jakarta and Singapore. She has previously edited Perspective and Opinion and has written extensively across the AFR and related titles.