(CNN) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Saturday, in the first face-to-face meeting between senior US and Chinese officials since the US military shot down a suspected surveillance balloon in China earlier this month.
In a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Blinken “spoke directly to the unacceptable violation of US sovereignty and international law” and said incidents such as surveillance balloons, flying in US airspace several days before the US shot it down off the coast of South Carolina, “it must never happen again,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Blinken, who is a senior State Department official described as “very direct and blunt throughout,” began the hour-long meeting by declaring “how unacceptable and irresponsible” China is flying the US airspace balloon. The secretary later expressed disappointment that Beijing did not engage in military-to-military dialogue when the balloon incident occurred in China, the senior official told reporters.
“He expressed, frankly expressed, our disappointment that in this recent period our Chinese military counterparts refused to pick up the phone. We thought it was bad. official said.
No “formal agreement” has been reached, however, on any kind of mechanism to increase dialogue between the two countries.
Diplomatic fallout from the balloon has been swift, with Washington accusing China of running a vast international surveillance program. Beijing, on the other hand, denied those claims, and instead accused the US, without providing evidence, of flying balloons over its airspace without permission. China maintains that its balloon, which was identified by US forces and then shot down earlier this month, was a civilian research plane that accidentally veered off course.
Wang confirmed what he called an “informal” meeting with Blinken on Saturday and called on the US to repair the “damage” in the relations between the countries, according to a press release broadcast by CGTN, a media outlet in state of China. Earlier, Wang criticized the United States’ handling of the incident, calling the response “absurd and hysterical” and “100% an abuse of force.”
The incident had an immediate impact on what was seen as an opportunity for the US and China to strengthen ties. In early February, Blinken posted a much-anticipated visit to Beijing, after the balloon — which floated over the US in plain sight — dominated media headlines and public attention.
The visit would have been China’s first by a US secretary of state since 2018, on the heels of a relatively peaceful face-to-face between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in November.
Biden said Thursday that he hoped to talk to Xi about the wolf but that he would not apologize for shooting it. “I hope we get to the bottom of this, but I’m not apologizing for deflating,” he said.
Blinken raised a possible conversation between Biden and Xi, according to the State Department official, who said U.S. officials had not heard anything in recent days that will change the US assessment that the balloon is for monitoring China.
“We haven’t heard anything that gives any kind of a reliable explanation as to what this balloon is. The US stands firmly behind our investigation,” the official said.
Some analysts believe that Beijing, economically drained by the now-abandoned zero-Covid strategy, has softened its tone on foreign affairs and stepped up its diplomacy with Western governments in a bid to make up for lost ground. that land.
While expectations for more breakthroughs are low, Blinken’s trip should lay the groundwork for fuller US-China relations and prevent tensions from spiraling into open conflict — guardrails meant to keep them from escalating. incidents such as suspected surveillance balloons to become a full diplomatic. crisis.
CNN reported Wednesday that U.S. intelligence officials are assessing the possibility that the balloon was not intentionally maneuvered over the U.S. mainland by the Chinese government and are investigating whether it was moved in the direction of strong winds, according to multiple sources. people who are short on intelligence.
Any intelligence that suggests the balloon’s path to the US may be unintentional could ease tensions between the two countries.
Visiting Russia
Wang, who was named Xi’s top foreign policy adviser last month, has already visited France and Italy this week and is expected to visit Russia after the Munich conference.
The trip is an attempt by Beijing to perform a diplomatic balancing act between improving relations with the West and maintaining close ties with Moscow.
Blinken and Wang on Saturday discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the US secretary of state warning “about the implications and consequences” if China increases its support for Russia’s war effort, as read by Price of the meeting.
The senior State Department official told reporters that Blinken “was not very forthright in warning about the implications and consequences of China providing material support to Russia or helping Russia systematically evade sanctions.”
U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence told CNN earlier Saturday that the U.S. has recently begun to see “disturbing” trends in China’s support for Russia’s military and there are signs that Beijing want to “creep to the line” to provide lethal military assistance to Russia without. caught.
Those officials would not describe in detail what intelligence the U.S. had seen that suggested a recent change in China’s posture, but said U.S. officials were concerned enough that they shared the intelligence with allies and partners in Munich in the last few days.
China’s relationship with Europe has come under great strain after the war in Ukraine. Beijing has refused to condemn the invasion directly or support more measures against it at the United Nations. China also continues to cooperate with the Russian military during large-scale exercises, while increasing trade and fuel purchases from Moscow.
According to the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang’s visit to Moscow will provide an opportunity for China and Russia to continue to develop their strategic partnership and “exchange views” on “international and regional shared hotspot issues.” interest” – a common phrase. used to discuss topics, including the war in Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry did not specify whether Wang will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“China is ready to take this visit as an opportunity and work with Russia to promote the steady development of bilateral relations in the direction recognized by the two heads of state, defend the legitimate rights and interests on both sides, and play an active role for world peace,” said spokesman Wang Wenbin.
Wang’s visit could also foreshadow Xi’s state visit to Moscow later this year. Putin has extended an invitation to Xi in a routine year-end call between the two leaders, but China’s Foreign Ministry has not yet confirmed any plans.
Blinken, who reiterated on Saturday the unchanged US policy on Taiwan and “stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability” on the democratically-ruled island, reinforced statements from Biden that the US does not seek a conflict with China but will continue to “stand up for our values.”
“The Secretary reiterated President Biden’s statements that the United States will compete and unapologetically stand up for our values and interests, but we do not want conflict with the PRC and are not looking for a new Cold War,” Price said in the statement. . “The Secretary emphasized the importance of maintaining diplomatic dialogue and open lines of communication at all times.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Natasha Bertrand and Larry Register contributed to this report.
