At Munich meeting, Blinken tells Wang Yi balloon incident ‘must never again occur’

[superadmin]

At Munich meeting, Antony Blinken tells Wang Yi balloon incident ‘must never again occur’

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also warned China’s top envoy Wang Yi about consequences of providing material support to Russia in Ukraine war
  
• Wang expressed Beijing’s ‘solemn position’ on the balloon incident during the talks
  

enior US and China envoys met Saturday on the sidelines of a European security conference, the first high-ranking in-person talks by the two sides since a Chinese surveillance balloon transited into American airspace, with Washington telling Beijing “this irresponsible act must never again occur.”

The highly anticipated meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi took place on the sidelines of Germany’s annual Munich Security Conference, which began on Friday and runs through Sunday. The balloon incident has undercut already fragile ties between the two powers.

- More -

[superadmin]

Senior Chinese diplomat blasts US reaction to balloon as ‘hysterical, violates intl norms’

The US' handling of an astray Chinese airship was "hysterical, abused force" and apparently violated international norms and conventions, senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said on Saturday when taking questions at a session of the ongoing Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany.

On a trip to Europe, Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has visited France and Italy, and will depart for Hungary and Russia after attending the MSC.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said the "balloon" was a civilian unmanned airship, which was blown into US airspace due to a strong westerly wind. We requested the US to handle it calmly, professionally through communication with China. "Regretfully, the US disregarded those facts, deployed advanced fighter jets and shot down a 'balloon' with missiles," Wang said.

- More -