US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a trip to Bali.
Speaking of reporters, Blinken said he believed Russia had left the G20 meeting isolated and alone after most participants expressed opposition to the war in Ukraine.
However, ministers were unable to reach a unified G20 call to end the conflict.
“There was a strong consensus and Russia remained isolated,” Mr. Blinken said of individual condemnations of Russia’s actions by various ministers, some of whom avoided talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
He noted that Mr Lavrov had left the meeting early, perhaps because he did not like what he was hearing from his counterparts.
“It was very important that he heard loud and clear from around the world the condemnation of Russia’s aggression,” Blinken said, adding: “We see no sign that Russia is prepared to engage in diplomacy.”
On China, Mr Blinken said he and Mr Wang had discussed a range of contentious issues from tariffs and trade and human rights to Taiwan and disputes in the South China Sea, all of which have been complicated by China’s position on Ukraine. .
Just two days ago, the countries’ top military officers faced off in Taiwan during a virtual meeting.
Mr Blinken said the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory was just one of a series of problematic issues.
He said he emphasized US concerns with China’s “increasingly provocative rhetoric and activity near Taiwan and the vital importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
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