China should not hold talks on global concerns ‘hostage’ – US secretary of state

US secretary of state Antony Blinken (Andrew Harnik, Pool/AP)

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said China should not hold talks on important global matters such as the climate crisis “hostage”, after Beijing cut off contacts with Washington in retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan earlier this week.

Mr Blinken spoke at an online news conference with his Philippine counterpart in Manila after meeting newly elected president Ferdinand Marcos Jr and other top officials, as relations between Washington and Beijing plummeted to their worst level in years.