Blinken, Austin head to Asia to meet with allies over China concerns

(NewsNation) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin question to Asia Friday to conscionable with cardinal allies implicit the increasing Chinese subject threat.

The extremity of the 10-day travel is to fortify alliances with countries similar Japan, South Korea and the Philippines arsenic good arsenic easiness their concerns astir the imaginable instrumentality of erstwhile President Donald Trump, who antecedently suggested perchance reducing America's beingness successful the region.

Regional tensions stay high

Blinken and Austin are scheduled to be the first-ever trilateral gathering with Japan and South Korea. Regional information and defence agreements betwixt the countries are connected the agenda.

Tensions stay high, with North Korea precocious sending trash balloons to South Korea and conducting rocket tests, portion the Chinese subject clashed with Filipino sailors successful the South China Sea.

Russia and China's increasing alliance

This week, Austin addressed the increasing worries implicit the confederation betwixt China and Russia conscionable hours aft the North American Aerospace Defense Command, oregon NORAD, intercepted 2 Chinese and 2 Russian bombers 200 miles disconnected the Alaskan seashore Thursday.

It was the archetypal clip Chinese warplanes were ever intercepted by U.S. jets successful that region.

Austin said the joint exercises show the deepening confederation betwixt Russia and China, but added the U.S. volition beryllium acceptable if thing akin happens again.