U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi locked horns over Taiwan on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit on Sunday, trading warnings against moves that could further escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
In an hour-long meeting in Rome, Blinken made "crystal clear" that Washington opposes any unilateral changes by Beijing to the status quo around Taiwan, a senior State Department official said.
A recent increase in Chinese military exercises in Taiwan's air defense identification zone, including what Taipei said were eight such flights Sunday, is part of what it views as stepped-up military harassment by Beijing.