US steps up diplomatic efforts with China on Taiwan, Russia

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration is ramping up diplomatic efforts to press China to end provocative actions against Taiwan and keep it from active support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. U.S. officials say Secretary of State Antony Blinken made both cases in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on Friday in a meeting on the sidelines of the annual UN Assembly in New York on Friday. The officials declined to describe the Chinese response but said Foreign Minister Wang Yi was receptive to the messages and that the two men agreed on the need to keep lines of communication open. Friday’s talks between Blinken and Wang came amid a period of heightened tensions on both issues and ahead of an expected meeting in November between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.