United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, February. 18, 2023. Petr David Josek/Pool via REUTERS
MUNICH 鈥� U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday warned Chinese counterpart Wang Yi of consequences should Beijing provide material support to Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine in a 鈥渃andid鈥� conversation on the sidelines of a global security conference, U.S. officials said.
The top diplomats of the two superpowers met at an undisclosed location in Munich, with the State Department only confirming the meeting, which lasted about an hour, only after it had taken place.
Relations between the two countries have been fraught since Washington said China flew a spy balloon over the continental U.S. before American fighter jets shot it down on President Joe Biden鈥檚 orders. The dispute also came at a time when the West is closely watching Beijing鈥檚 response to the Ukraine war.
READ: US military completes recovery of Chinese balloon, now analyzing its 鈥榞uts鈥�
Speaking to reporters in a briefing call, a senior State Department official said China was trying to 鈥渉ave it both ways鈥� by claiming it wants to contribute to peace and stability but at the same time taking 鈥渃oncerning鈥� steps to support Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine.
鈥�(The) secretary was quite blunt in warning about the implications and consequences of China providing material support to Russia or assisting Russia with systematic sanctions evasion,鈥� the senior official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
READ: US fighter jet shoots down unidentified, cylindrical object over Canada
In an interview with NBC 黑料社, Blinken said Washington has information that China might provide lethal war assistance to Russia.
The West has been wary of China鈥檚 response to the Ukraine war, with some warning that a Russian victory would color China鈥檚 actions toward Taiwan. China has refrained from condemning the war or calling it an 鈥渋nvasion.鈥�
Earlier, speaking at a panel at the conference, Wang reiterated a call for dialogue and suggested European countries 鈥渢hink calmly鈥� about how to end the war.
READ: US military says it recovers key sensors from downed Chinese spy balloon
He also said there were 鈥渟ome forces that seemingly don鈥檛 want negotiations to succeed, or for the war to end soon,鈥� without specifying to whom he was referring.
No apology
Blinken and Wang鈥檚 meeting came hours after the top Chinese diplomat took a swipe at the United States, accusing it of violating international norms with 鈥渉ysterical鈥� behavior by shooting down the balloon.
READ: China swipes at 鈥榟ysterical鈥� US at global security gathering
China鈥檚 Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi speaks during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, February 18, 2023. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
The balloon鈥檚 flight this month over U.S. territory triggered an uproar in Washington and prompted Blinken to postpone a planned visit to Beijing. That February 5-6 trip would have been the first by a U.S. secretary of state to China in five years and was seen by both sides as an opportunity to stabilize increasingly fraught ties.
鈥淭o have dispatched an advanced fighter jet to shoot down a balloon with a missile, such behavior is unbelievable, almost hysterical,鈥� Wang said on Saturday.
鈥淭here are so many balloons all over the world, and various countries have them, so is the United States going to shoot all of them down?鈥� he said.
READ: Diplomatic spat deepens as US examines Chinese balloon debris
In the interview with NBC, Blinken said that during their meeting Wang did not apologize for the balloon鈥檚 flight through U.S. airspace.
Blinken was 鈥渧ery direct and candid鈥� throughout the meeting and repeatedly underscored to Wang that the violation of U.S. sovereignty caused by Beijing鈥檚 spy balloon must never happen again, the senior State Department official said.
READ: US fighter jet shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon with missile
Washington had been hoping to put a 鈥渇loor鈥� under relations that hit a dangerous low in August with China鈥檚 reaction to a Taiwan visit by then-U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
China reacted angrily when the U.S. military shot down the 200-foot (60-meter) balloon on Feb. 4, saying it was for monitoring weather conditions and had blown off course. But Washington said it clearly was a surveillance balloon with a massive undercarriage holding electronics.
RELATED STORIES
Taiwan finds crashed weather balloon on remote island, likely Chinese
Taiwan says it has spotted no Chinese surveillance balloons