China's Taiwan approach 'has been counterproductive,' Blinken says

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that China's growing aggression toward Taiwan has undermined the country's own interests.

"I think the approach that they've shown in recent years has actually been totally counterproductive to their interests," Blinken said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."

Taiwan is an epicenter for the production of semiconductors, which China relies on, and the adjacent Taiwan Strait is a major commercial route that has implications for economic stability in the region.

Blinken's comments come days after Taiwan voters elected the Democratic Progressive Party's Lai Ching-te to serve as the next president. Of the candidates, Lai was Beijing's least favorite as he would likely maintain the DPP's status quo when it comes to relations with mainland China and the U.S.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Taiwan officials reported several attempts by the Chinese government to sway the election via escalating military pressure and disinformation campaigns.

Despite China's distaste for Lai, the White House has been supportive, issuing several congratulatory statements for the president-elect. That has further angered Beijing.

"The US State Department's statement on the election in China's Taiwan region seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, and goes against the US' own political commitment to maintaining only cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan," China's Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement Sunday.

"It also sends a gravely wrong signal to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces. We strongly deplore and firmly oppose this, and have made serious