Beijing denies it uses a spy balloon and says it is used to study the weather. (Document)
Germany:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China not to repeat its “irresponsible act” by sending spy balloons into US airspace, as he held rare talks late Saturday with the diplomat. China’s leading Wang Yi.
The highly-anticipated meeting of the two senior officials took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing.
The United States has been on alert since a giant white ball from China was discovered over a series of secret nuclear weapons sites, before being shot down just off the east coast on April 4. /2.
The incident caused Blinken to abruptly cancel a rare trip to China.
Beijing denies it uses a spy balloon and says it is used to study the weather. They then accused Washington of sending its own spy balloons over Chinese territory, which the US has denied.
During Saturday’s meeting, Blinken spoke “directly about the unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law by (China’s) high-altitude surveillance balloons in the air.” territory of the United States, stressing that this irresponsible act must never happen again,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“The Secretary of State has made it clear that the United States will not support any violation of our sovereignty,” he added.
He also warned Wang “of the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia or assists in evading systematic sanctions,” Price said.
According to a senior State Department official, Blinken was “very direct and forthright” during the negotiations, which lasted about an hour.
He was also “quite forthright” when they talked about Russia, the official said.
In return, Wang told Blinken that the two countries’ relations had been damaged by the way Washington reacted to the balloon.
Wang “clarified China’s serious position on the so-called balloon incident” and “urged the US side to change course, acknowledge and repair the damage caused by China’s excessive use of force.” they have caused China-US relations,” state news agency Xinhua reported. .
Speaking earlier on Saturday at a meeting of world leaders in Munich, Wang Yi condemned the US response to the hot air balloon as “hysterical and absurd”.
‘lapse’
In unusually strong remarks towards Washington, Mr. Wang said President Joe Biden’s administration had a “wrong” perception of Beijing.
And he accused the US of trying to “smear” the Asian giant while Washington itself is implementing policies that go against its models, such as free trade.
“There are many balloons from many countries in the sky. Would you like to drop them one by one?” Wang said.
“We urge the US not to do such absurd things just to divert attention from its own domestic problems.”
When asked if he planned to meet the US delegation, Mr. Wang accused Washington of having the wrong view of seeing China as a serious geopolitical challenge and threat to the US.
“This is a false perception of China, and with this perception, the United States is using all its means to smear and contain China, and at the same time entice other countries to do the same,” he said. the same thing”.
Wang accused the US of instead of “100% protectionism, 100% self-interest, 100% unilateral action” in its economic policies, such as the Chips Act that spends billions of dollars on subsidies. and research in the field of semiconductors.
He added that he hoped Washington would adopt a “pragmatic and proactive attitude” towards China and restore relations along the “path of healthy development”.
‘Don’t make the same mistake’
After four years of confrontational relations with China under his predecessor Donald Trump, Biden has made it a priority to re-establish relations with Beijing, which he describes as Washington’s biggest competitor.
But tensions flared up last year after Nancy Pelosi, then leader of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island claimed by Beijing.
Hopes of a reset could soon be tested again, with a senior Pentagon official visiting Taiwan, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also has Western powers eyeing the relationship between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who call each other “friends.”
Also in Munich, US Vice President Kamala Harris said Washington was “very worried about Beijing’s tightening ties with Moscow since the start of the war”.
“Beijing is watching closely to see the price Russia has to pay, or the reward it receives, for its aggression,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.
“What is happening in Europe today could happen in East Asia tomorrow,” he warned.
Stoltenberg also said Moscow’s attack exposed the dangers of Europe’s overdependence on authoritarian regimes. This will be a lesson, he argues, as the continent pursues relations with Beijing.
“We should not make the same mistake with China and other authoritarian regimes.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
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