Blinken rebukes China’s top diplomat on balloon, Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rebuked China’s top diplomat in their first in-person meeting since the uproar over an alleged spy balloon, telling Wang Yi that the craft’s entry into U.S. airspace was an “irresponsible act that must never again occur.”

Blinken also warned Wang against helping Russia evade sanctions linked to the invasion of Ukraine or provide material support to President Vladimir Putin’s forces, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a readout that was unusually blunt in its language.

“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,” Price said in the statement, referring to China by its formal name, the People’s Republic of China.

Saturday’s meeting took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. In another sign of the tensions still to be overcome, Wang lashed out at the U.S. beforehand, calling President Joe Biden’s decision to shoot down the balloon over American airspace and the heightened state of alert “incomprehensible and almost hysterical.”

The airship, which China said was a weather device blown off course, led Blinken to cancel a planned trip to Beijing. An F-22 fighter shot the balloon down off the South Carolina coast on Feb. 4. Since the balloon was identified and shot down, the U.S. and China have traded accusations over global espionage efforts.

The U.S. said the balloon over the U.S. was part of a fleet of spy devices directed by China’s People’s Liberation Army. China countered that the U.S. was overreacting and had flown similar airships over China – claims the White House has rejected.

The U.S. is consulting with allies and partners at the Munich conference and elsewhere, including sharing its concern that China may be giving more tangible support to Russia’s military than before, according to a person familiar with the administration’s thinking.

Earlier at the conference, Wang said China would release a new peace proposal in the coming days that would be in keeping with previous efforts by President Xi Jinping. He condemned attacks on nuclear power stations.

“We oppose attacks on nuclear power stations, attacks on civilian nuclear facilities,” Wang said. “We have to work to prevent nuclear proliferation and nuclear disasters.”

The initial response was cautious. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock welcomed China’s idea but said “a just peace cannot mean that the aggressor gets rewarded.” As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, “China is obliged to use its influence for global peace,” Baerbock said. A Russian troop withdrawal from Ukraine is a condition of any peace deal, she said.

State Department officials continue to say that Blinken’s trip to China will be rescheduled when conditions are right, but haven’t identified those conditions or potential timing.

The acrimony around the spy balloon – fueled in part by Republican criticism of the Biden administration – has at least temporarily derailed efforts by Washington and Beijing to put ties on a more stable footing. Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met late last year seeking to put a “floor” under the relationship and stop tensions from spiraling out of control.

On Thursday, Biden said he expected to have a call with Xi, without giving details.

“We’re also continuing to engage with China as we have throughout the past two weeks,” Biden said in a briefing.

“As I’ve said since the beginning of my administration, we seek competition, not conflict, with China,” Biden said. “We’re not looking for a new Cold War, but I make no apologies, and we will compete.”