Blinken warns China of espionage in ‘confrontational’ meeting with colleague

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with his Chinese counterpart Saturday night in Germany, warning that a Chinese spy balloon flight over the United States “should never happen again.”

The New York Times reported that US officials described the nature of the meeting as “confrontational”.

In a State Department statement regarding a meeting with PRC State Counselor and CCP Central Foreign Affairs Director Wang Yi, Spokesman Ned Price said Blinken “spoke explicitly about China’s unacceptable violation of US sovereignty and international law in the highlands.” observation balloon in US territorial airspace, emphasizing that this irresponsible act must never be repeated.”

Blinken, meeting with Wang on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, “made it clear that the United States will not tolerate any violation of our sovereignty, and that the PRC’s high-altitude reconnaissance balloon program, which has invaded the airspace of more than 40 countries on 5 continents — was introduced to the whole world,” Price wrote.

BLINKEN MEETS CHINA’S HIGHEST DIPLOMAT FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER THE SPYCORAFT BLOCK

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken speaks at the 2023 Munich Security Conference on February 18, 2023 in Munich, Germany.  On the fields, he also met the Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, confronting him in a spy balloon.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken speaks at the 2023 Munich Security Conference on February 18, 2023 in Munich, Germany. On the fields, he also met the Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, confronting him in a spy balloon. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

The US Secretary of State also “warned of the consequences if China provides material support to Russia or help circumvent systemic sanctions,” Price wrote.

Blinken condemned the DPRK ICBM test “as the latest destabilizing act committed by Pyongyang and stressed the need for responsible powers to respond to such serious international challenges.”

He also “confirmed that the long-standing US one-China policy has not changed, and emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

Wang Yi, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party

Wang Yi, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s foreign policy commission, said the US reaction to the spy balloon was “almost hysterical.” (Peter Kneffel Alliance/picture via Getty Images)

Blinken “reiterated President Biden’s statements that the United States will compete and shamelessly defend our values ​​and interests, but that we do not want conflicts with the PRC and are not looking for a new cold war,” Price added. “The Secretary of State stressed the importance of maintaining diplomatic dialogue and open lines of communication at all times.”

Price’s statement did not describe how Wang reacted, but according to the Times, a Chinese state media summary said the United States must “repair the damage caused by indiscriminate use of force” when the US military steps up. observation balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

The meeting resumed diplomatic contacts between Washington and Beijing for the first time since the disagreement. Blinked canceled a planned trip to China as a suspected Chinese spy ship spotted over Montana was drifting across the US mainland.

President Biden said the US does not want conflict with China and "does not expect a new Cold War," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

President Biden said the US does not want conflict with China and “does not expect a new Cold War,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Saturday, Blinken said he was “very clear and very direct about China sending an observation balloon over our territory, violating our sovereignty, violating international law. “. However, he added that Wang “didn’t apologize” for the incident.

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Speaking on the second day of the annual Munich Security Conference, Wang ridiculed the United States’ response to the spy apparatus, stating, “Sending forward fighter aircraft to shoot down a balloon with a missile is unbelievable, almost hysterical behavior.”

“There are so many balloons all over the world and there are so many different countries that the United States is going to shoot them all down?” he added. “We ask the United States to show sincerity and correct its mistakes, acknowledge and resolve this incident, which has damaged China-US relations.”

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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