Antony J. Blinken, of New York, speaks during his confirmation hearing to be Secretary of State before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, January 19, 2021.
Graeme Jennings | Swimming Pool | Reuters
In his first handful of hours at work, the country’s new Secretary of State spoke to several of America’s closest allies.
Antony Blinken, who was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, spoke with his counterparts from Mexico, Canada, Japan and South Korea.
Blinken, a veteran diplomat, told lawmakers during his confirmation hearings last week that he would focus on re-running with America’s allies following the Trump administration’s “America First” policy. President Joe Biden wants to restore the country’s relationship with its allies.
The country’s top diplomat spoke to Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard in Mexico, emphasizing ‘our shared interest in security and economic integration, as well as our focus on an orderly and humane approach to migration’, according to a statement from Ned Price, state spokesman.
Mexico is the second largest trading partner and the second largest export market in the United States. Under the Trump administration, the US renegotiated the 24-year-old North American trade agreement into what is now the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement, or USMCA which supports mutually beneficial trade leading to freer markets, fairer trade and robust economic growth in North America.
In his conversation with Secretary of State Marc Garneau, the two discussed how to strengthen the broader North American partnership and address shared challenges, including COVID-19 and climate change, among others, the statement said.
The US and Canada maintain a working relationship that includes defense arrangements, the maintenance of security standards and economic competitiveness, in which $ 2 billion worth of goods and services are traded per day.
Meanwhile, Blinken and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha ‘reaffirmed the enduring power and importance of the US-ROC Alliance, the core of peace, security and prosperity for a free and open Indo-Pacific region . ‘
South Korea has donated more than 2 million masks and facilitated nearly 750,000 Covid-19 tests to the US. Following the inauguration of Biden, the President of South Korea tweeted congratulations:
North Korea remains a major source of tension in the region. During a debate during the campaign, Biden said he would only meet with Kim Jong Un if the country scaled back its nuclear arsenal.
Blinken’s communication with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi follows a similar thread, pointing to the need for free and open trade in the Indo-Pacific region.
Blinken would hold his first personal information session of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later on Wednesday.