Phnom Penh (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he hopes Beijing “will not manufacture a crisis or seek a pretext to increase its aggressive military activity,” at a meeting with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. China fired ballistic missiles and deployed fighter jets and warships on Thursday as it held its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan, a show of force sparked by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.
