Muristek
Canberra, February 10
The United States remains focused on the Indo-Pacific region, despite concerns over Russian aggression toward the Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
Blinken is in Melbourne for a meeting on Friday with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan. The four nations form "Quad", a bloc of Indo-Pacific democracies that was created to counter China's regional influence.
"There are a few other things going on in the world right now, some of you may have noticed. We have a bit of a challenge with Ukraine and Russian aggression. We're working 24/7 on that," Blinken said in his first public address since arriving in Australia on Wednesday.
"But we know that so much of this century is going to be shaped by what happens here in the Indo-Pacific region," he added. The Indo-Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world, accounting for two-thirds of global economic growth over the past five years and home to half the world's population, Blinken said.
What matters in the region matters around the world and challenges like climate change and Covid can't be tackled by any nation alone, he said. — AP