ANKARA

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa met in Washington and discussed the developments in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war.

“Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Kamikawa discussed the situation in the Middle East, the two countries’ enduring support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as well as in the South China Sea,” said a readout by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

Blinken also met with Communist Party of China International Liaison Department Minister Liu Jianchao and had a “constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including areas of potential cooperation and areas of difference,” another readout said.

“The Secretary emphasized the importance of resolving the cases of American citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China and raised U.S. concerns about PRC (People’s Republic of China’s) human rights abuses,” it said.

The readout said: “The Secretary noted the importance of upholding and defending navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea and avoiding further escalation.”

*Writing by Gozde Bayar