U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in Munich on Saturday and told him the violation of U.S. airspace by China’s high-altitude surveillance balloon must never occur again.
Blinken was direct and candid throughout the meeting that lasted about one hour, according to the State Department.
“The Secretary made clear the United States will not stand for any violation of our sovereignty, and that the PRC’s high altitude surveillance balloon program — which has intruded into the air space of over 40 countries across 5 continents — has been exposed to the world,” Ned Price, State Department spokesperson said in a statement after the meeting, referring to China by its full name of People's Republic of China.
Blinken also warned Wang of “the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia or assistance with systemic sanctions evasion,” Price said.
China’s state-run news outlet reported that Wang met with Blinken at the request of the U.S. and that Wang stated China's “solemn position,” requesting the U.S. to “change course” and fix the damage done to the bilateral relationship caused by the U.S. “abuse of force.”
Effort seen as attempt to ease tension
The two met in an undisclosed location in an effort widely seen as an attempt to cool rising tensions between the two countries.
The meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference is the first face-to-face talk between the two top diplomats since the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon this month. The incident led Blinken to postpone a planned trip to Beijing.
“I don’t mind talking,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters Saturday night, referring to Blinken’s meeting with Wang.
Graham added that China’s rejection of “the idea of nuclear weapons being used in this (Ukraine) conflict” is a “bad day for Russia.”
Earlier Saturday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told an audience at the Munich Security Conference that she is troubled by the Beijing government’s deepening relationship with Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine. Harris added that the Chinese support for Russia amid its war on Ukraine would undermine rule-based international order.
Also Saturday, Wang — whose title is director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee — said the U.S. shootdown of the Chinese "airship" is “a clear violation of international practice.”
“This behavior is unimaginable and borders on hysteria," Wang told an audience at the Munich Security Conference. "It is 100% an abuse of force.”
On February 3, Blinken told Wang via phone that the spy balloon, which drifted across the continental U.S., was “an irresponsible act and a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law that undermined the purpose” of Blinken’s trip. China said it was a weather balloon that strayed off course and later charged that the U.S. has conducted more than 10 balloon flights over China since May 2022. The U.S. has rejected both claims.
China's refusal to talk 'unfortunate,' says U.S.
U.S. officials say the Chinese military’s refusal to speak with Pentagon counterparts after the balloon was shot down last week was a dangerous development.
A senior U.S. State Department official told reporters during a phone briefing on Saturday that Blinken “candidly stated” the U.S.’ “disappointment.”
“We think that's unfortunate. And that is not the way that our two sides ought to be conducting business,” the senior official said.
Discussion about Taiwan
There also was “a candid exchange on Taiwan” where the top U.S. diplomat underscored the importance of “maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the senior State Department official said.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, a claim rejected by the self-ruled democracy. The U.S. does not take a position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, neither does the U.S. support Taiwan independence.
The U.S. said it remains committed to its long-standing, bipartisan “One China” policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances.
Washington's “One China” policy is distinct from Beijing's “One China” principle. The U.S. says it does not subscribe to the PRC's position and has asked the PRC not to publicly misrepresent U.S. policy.
Chinese officials have rejected the Taiwan Relations Act, calling the U.S. law governing its relations with Taiwan "illegal and invalid."
