US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that China’s senior foreign minister Wang Yi offered “no apologies” for the spy balloon floating over the US during a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
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China’s senior foreign minister was “unapologetic” in a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the spy balloon that floated over the US, Blinken said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
“There was no apology,” Blinken said of his conversation with Wang Yi, director of the Foreign Office of the Central Committee of the People’s Republic of China’s CCP. “But what I can say is that this is an opportunity to speak clearly and directly about the fact that China is sending surveillance balloons over our territory, violating our sovereignty, violating international law.”
“And I told them very simply that this is unacceptable and cannot happen again,” Blinken said.
Blinken met with Wang on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany before the interview.
In the interview, he also expressed concern that China is helping Russia in the war in Ukraine. NBC News exclusively reported on Saturday that US officials believe that China may offer military assistance that does not harm Russia.
“We are very concerned that China is considering providing support to Russia in its aggression against Ukraine,” Blinken said, “and I understand that it will have serious consequences for our relationship, as well as what the President is doing. [Joe] Biden has shared it directly with President Xi [Jinping] on several occasions.”
Finally, Blinken said that he told Wang that there should be open communication between China and the US: “This is something that the world wants – they expect us to manage this relationship responsibly, so it is very important that we have this opportunity this evening in Munich.”
Blinken said the U.S. isn’t the only country hit by China’s spy balloons. “More than forty countries have this balloon fly over people in the new year, and that has exposed the world,” said Blinken.
Diplomatic tensions between the US and China have increased since the US shot down what it called a spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. China has insisted the balloons were not intended for surveillance.
The balloon, which floated above the US for eight days, included “multiple antennas” capable of collecting intelligence signals and the balloon’s maker has proven ties to the Chinese military, NBC News previously reported, according to a senior State Department official.
The U.S. has not heard a credible explanation and is confident it was a surveillance balloon, a senior State Department official said Saturday.