U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said: “it would be a serious mistake” for China to strike at Taiwan and expressed “real concerns” about Russia’s massing of forces on the border with Ukraine.

Commenting on the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine he noted: “President Biden’s been very clear about this. If Russia acts recklessly, or aggressively, there will be costs, there will be consequences.”

In addressing concerns about America’s two great Cold War rivals, Blinken stopped short of promising U.S. military intervention — “I’m not going to get into hypotheticals” — but did vow there would be “consequences.”

Speaking to host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Blinken said of Chinese belligerence toward Taiwan, “We have a commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, a bipartisan commitment that’s existed for many, many years, to make sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and to make sure that we’re sustaining peace and security in the Western Pacific. We stand behind those commitments.

“And all I can tell you is it would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change the existing status quo by force,” he said.

China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, something that has been the case since Mao Zedong’s revolution took over China in 1949 and the remnants of the old Nationalist regime fled to Taiwan, where they and their successors have been a thorn in China’s side for decades.

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