US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese State Councilor and Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office Wang Yi discussed the Chinese weather probe shot down over the US, the Ukrainian conflict, North Korea’s missile launch, Taiwan, as well as bilateral contacts, State Department Spokesperson Ned Pric said in a written statement following their talks on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Trend reports citing TASS.
"The Secretary [of State Antony Blinken] directly spoke to the unacceptable violation of US sovereignty and international law by the PRC high-altitude surveillance balloon in US territorial airspace, underscoring that this irresponsible act must never again occur. 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," the statement said.
When discussing the situation in Ukraine, Blinken once again "warned about the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia or assistance with systemic sanctions evasion". "The Secretary condemned today’s ICBM test by the DPRK as the latest destabilizing act carried out by Pyongyang, and emphasized the need for responsible powers to respond to such significant international challenges," Price added. During the talks, the US top diplomat also "reaffirmed there had been no change to the longstanding U.S. one China policy, and he underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
"The Secretary of State reiterated President [Joe] Biden's statements that the United States will compete and will unapologetically stand up for our values and interests, but that we do not want conflict with the PRC and are not looking for a new Cold War. The Secretary underscored the importance of maintaining diplomatic dialogue and open lines of communication at all times," the State Department spokesman concluded.