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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken relieved worries of its allies as he ensured that the US government seeks ''to de-escalate" the tension in the Taiwan Strait.

This was announced by Blinken during the virtual press conference at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pasay City on Saturday.

Blinken said most of the US' allies expressed concern in the tension in Taiwan Strait that was heightened following the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan last Tuesday.

"We always stand by our partners. It is important to underscore that because of what is happening in the north up here in the Taiwan Strait since the People's Republic of China launched nearly a dozen ballistic missiles towards Taiwan. Two days ago, we've been hearing from allies and partners across the region were deeply concerned about destabilizing and dangerous actions," he said.

"Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is vital not only for Taiwan but for the Philippines and many other countries. What happens to the Taiwan Strait affects the entire region and in many ways it affects the entire world like the South China Sea is a critical waterway. Almost half of the global container fleet and nearly 90 percent of the world's largest ships passed through the Taiwan strait this year," he added.

Blinken said on Friday he directly conveyed to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi the US' intent to de-escalate the tension in the region.

"The United States doesn't believe that it is in the interest of Taiwan, the region or our own national security to escalate the situation. I conveyed that directly to Wang Yi , the PRC (People's Republic of China) foreign minister, at the East-Asia summit yesterday. We keep our channels of communication with China open with intent of avoiding escalation to the misunderstanding or miscommunication," he said.

"I think maintaining dialogue is even more important when we are in a period of high tension as we are now because of China's activities around Taiwan, we seek to deescalate those tensions and we think dialogues are a very important element," he added.

In his opening remarks during his bilateral meeting with Blinken also on Saturday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo emphasized that the country cannot "afford further escalation of tension in the region."

"The Philippines continues to look to the big powers to calm the waters and keep the peace. We can ill afford further escalation of tensions in the region. We already face significant challenges as we work to get our economy back on track and better especially after the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

"We all know that no one country will be able to do this on its own. We look to the United States as an important ally, partner and friend as we chart the path forward," he added. By Robina Asido