WELLINGTON: Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against a return to Cold War-era divisions in the Asia-Pacific Thursday as tensions mounted over the security of Taiwan. "The Asia-Pacific region cannot and should not relapse into the confrontation and division of the Cold War era." 'Critical historical juncture'But while the Biden administration has identified climate as a key area for potential cooperation with China, tensions have soared over their rival security strategies in the Asia-Pacific region, notably Taiwan. China was ready to work with the United States to improve regional and global cooperation and "properly manage differences," he said. Besides its position on Taiwan, China also claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in shipping trade pass annually, rejecting competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Source: Manila Times November 11, 2021 16:45 UTC