U.S. rejects Beijing's excessive claims in South China Sea: Blinken

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday told his counterparts in the Indo-Pacific that the United States rejects Beijing's excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea and highlighted evolving multilateral mechanisms such as the "Quad" in tackling global challenges.According to the State Department, Blinken and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin affirmed during their phone talks that a strong bilateral alliance is vital to a "free and open" Indo-Pacific amid China's growing assertiveness in the region.On the disputed South China Sea, the new secretary of state, who …READ FULL ARTICLE