Status: 02/18/2023 11:49 p.m
For the first time since the Chinese balloon was launched off the US coast, the top foreign politicians of the two countries have met. Before and after the conversation, Blinken and Wang found harsh words.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with China’s top foreign policy leader Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. This was confirmed by the US delegation.
At the meeting, Blinken addressed the “unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law” committed by the Chinese surveillance balloon entering U.S. airspace, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. Such an incident must not be repeated.
At the same time, however, Blinken underlined that the USA was not looking for a conflict with China and did not want a new Cold War. A permanent diplomatic dialogue is important.
Wang had sharply criticized the shooting down
It was the first meeting between the two foreign politicians since a Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down off the east coast of the United States around two weeks ago. The US government spoke of a spy balloon, while the Chinese leadership spoke of a civilian research balloon. The incident caused additional tension in the already strained relationship.
Even before the conversation with Blinken, Wang had sharply criticized the fact that the balloon had been shot down during an appearance during the conference. “This is, I would say, absurd and hysterical,” Wang said in a question and answer session after his speech at the conference, according to the official English translation. “This is a 100% abuse of the use of force. It is a violation of international rules.”