US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken concluded his 10-day tour of six neighboring countries of China on Saturday - Laos, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia.
The visits were intended to confirm the importance of the anti-China alliance that the administration of US President Joe Biden is trying to create in the Asia-Pacific region, notes the China Daily. "China Daily".
This is not only Blinken's 18th tour of the region as US Secretary of State, but also the first foreign visit by the US top diplomat since Biden's withdrawal from the race for the upcoming US presidential election. Announced on July 22, the tour was reportedly planned just hours after Biden withdrew his bid for re-election.
The absence of Blinken's usual "stronger together" rhetoric as he bid farewell to the region after his longest tour in more than three years was an indication that the trip was not without its problems, the China Daily reported.
The lengthy tour was marked by a desire to limit China's influence, although Washington insists it is not pursuing a policy of containing Beijing, Agence France-Presse reported.
During his visit to the Laotian capital Vientiane late last week, Blinken made the same point to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during bilateral talks described as "candid and constructive" on the American side.
In Tokyo and Manila, US Secretary of State Blinken and his accompanying US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that they had strengthened defense ties with Japan and the Philippines, in their words, to prevent Chinese "provocations", particularly in the South China Sea, AFP notes.
"We are very happy to see you again", Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in Manila on Tuesday, adding: "I am a little surprised, given how unusual the political situation in the United States has become, but I am glad that you found time to come and visit us."
In Singapore, a senior diplomat asked Blinken about "the noise that is being made around the US presidential campaign". "Really? "I had not heard anything about that," the US Secretary of State replied, drawing laughter from the audience before attempting a serious answer, notes "China Daily". "We have these periodic processes called elections, and I think it is normal before every vote, given the importance of the influence that our country has in the world - of course many people ask questions," Blinken replied.
His comment that "there are a number of constants that do not fundamentally change, regardless of who wins the specific election" only reinforced his partners' belief to the contrary, points out "China Daily".
In Japan, however, the anxiety was palpable. "We are at a historic turning point," Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told the two visiting US high-ranking officials. "As for the situation in the US, we are watching it with great interest", she said, adding: "However, in any case, to fully protect the international order, Japan and the US... must continue to strengthen our common deterrence."
During his visits, Blinken has consistently evaded answers when asked who will win the presidential election in November and how that will affect US foreign policy. "One of the advantages of my job is that I don't get involved in politics," he said in Singapore, giving a standard answer for him.
Although the Biden administration's commitment to Washington's regional allies and partners remains, according to Blinken, unwavering, the latter seem to be cautiously withdrawing from the US's confrontational stance in the Asia-Pacific region and taking a wait-and-see attitude, summarizes "China Daily".