Blinken meets Wang Yi in Indonesia. But the region remains wary of the US-China rivalry

By EDNA TARIGAN, DAVID RISING and JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met China’s top diplomat to discuss thorny issues as part of efforts to nurture talks on the sidelines of regional diplomatic meetings in Indonesia. United States officials said Blinken stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and raised unspecified concerns by Washington and its allies over China’s actions. The late-Thursday meeting with Wang Yi, who heads the ruling Communist Party’s Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, is part of efforts to maintain open channels of communication and reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation.