'There is a greater premium than ever on a U.S. partnership'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told business and political leaders in Davos on Wednesday he could not think of a time in his career when there had been more global challenges, ranging from war in Gaza and Ukraine to tensions over Taiwan.

Blinken said that almost none of the problems that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration wanted to address could be tackled in isolation, echoing comments on Tuesday by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who called for greater global cooperation.

Describing the conflict in Gaza as "gutwrenching", Blinken said what was needed to resolve the situation was a Palestinian state with a government structure "that gives people what they want and works with Israel to be effective".

"The suffering breaks my heart," he said during a keynote session at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, adding: "The question is what is to be done."

The U.S. Secretary of State said that Washington was hearing from virtually every country in the Middle East that they wanted the United States to be at the table in discussions over how to bring about an end to Israel's war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

And he said Washington was also in demand elsewhere.

"There is a greater premium than ever on a U.S. partnership," Blinken told the WEF panel audience.