U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said America must open its doors to Hongkongers fleeing political repression in the city.

In his first television interview since he took office last week, Blinken lambasted China for rounding up pro-democracy activists and silencing dissents under its national security law for Hong Kong. Beijing had acted “egregiously” to undermine the commitments it made during the 1997 handover, he noted.

“And we see people who are, again, in Hong Kong standing up for their own rights, the rights that they felt were guaranteed to them. And if they’re the victims of repression from Chinese authorities, we should do something to give them haven,” Blinken told NBC News on Monday.

He added that the U.S. should approach China from “a position of strength” by re-engaging with international allies, a strategy clearly contrary to that of the Trump administration, which had disparaged groups like the United Nations and NATO.

“Because when we pull back, China fills in,” Blinken stressed.

The new state secretary also addressed the issues of North Korea’s nuclear program and Russia’s anti-Putin protests, saying the Biden administration is considering new sanctions and other possible actions against the two autocratic countries.

Blinken said he was “deeply disturbed by the violent crackdown” on Russian protesters and arrests of people demanding the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, but stopped short of committing to specific sanctions.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play