US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned China against providing “lethal support” to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine and condemned the violation of US airspace by an alleged Chinese spying balloon. The meeting between Blinken and Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, happened on the sidelines of a global security conference in Munich, Germany.
Blinken said in an interview with NBC News’s “Meet the Press with Chuck Todd” that the US was very concerned that China is considering providing lethal assistance to Russia, including weapons, and that he made it clear to Wang that “this would have serious consequences in our relationship”.
A senior State Department official said China was trying to “have it both ways” by claiming it wants to contribute to peace and stability but at the same time taking “concerning” steps to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The official said Blinken was “quite blunt” in warning about the implications and consequences of China providing material support to Russia or assisting it with systematic sanctions evasion.
Russia and China signed a “no limits” partnership last February shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and their economic links have boomed as Moscow’s connections with the West have shrivelled.
In addition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Blinken also condemned the incursion of the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon and “stressed it must never happen again”. He said Wang did not apologise for the balloon’s flight and that he had not discussed with him rescheduling his trip to China.
Wang told Blinken that their countries’ relations had been damaged by how Washington reacted to the balloon, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. He made clear China’s position on the incident and urged the US side to change course, acknowledge and repair the damage that its excessive use of force caused to China-US relations.
Speaking earlier on Saturday, Wang had condemned the US reaction to the balloon as “hysterical and absurd”. He also accused the US of denying China’s economic advances and seeking to impede its further development.
US Vice President Kamala Harris underlined how Washington was “troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began”. She said that “looking ahead, any steps by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killing and further undermine a rules-based order”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned China against providing military assistance to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. During a meeting with Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of a global security conference in Munich, Germany, Blinken said that any such action would have serious consequences for US-China relations.
The US is concerned that China is considering providing lethal support to Russia, including weapons, and Blinken made it clear to Wang that this would not be tolerated. A senior State Department official said that China was trying to “have it both ways” by claiming it wants to contribute to peace and stability but at the same time taking “concerning” steps to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Blinken also condemned the incursion of the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon and “stressed it must never happen again”. He said Wang did not apologise for the balloon’s flight and that he had not discussed with him rescheduling his trip to China.
Wang told Blinken that their countries’ relations had been damaged by how Washington reacted to the balloon, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. He made clear China’s position on the incident and urged the US side to change course, acknowledge and repair the damage that its excessive use of force caused to China-US relations.
Speaking earlier on Saturday, Wang had condemned the US reaction to the balloon as “hysterical and absurd”. He also accused the US of denying China’s economic advances and seeking to impede its further development.
US Vice President Kamala Harris underlined how Washington was “troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began”. She said that “looking ahead, any steps by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killing and further undermine a rules-based order”.
The West has been wary of China’s response to the Ukraine war, with some warning that a Russian victory would colour China’s actions towards Taiwan. Questions have swirled as to whether Blinken and Wang would use the conference in Munich as a chance to reengage in person, and Washington had been hoping to put a “floor” under relations that hit a dangerous low in August with China’s reaction to a Taiwan visit by then-US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Hopes for a reset could be tested again soon, with a high-level Pentagon official arriving in Taiwan for a visit, according to a Financial Times report on Friday. The US military’s downing of the 60-metre (200-ft) balloon on February 4 triggered an uproar in Washington and prompted Blinken to postpone a planned visit to Beijing.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned China against providing military assistance to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. During a meeting with Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of a global security conference in Munich, Germany, Blinken said that any such action would have serious consequences for US-China relations. He made it clear that Washington would not tolerate any form of lethal support from China to Russia, including weapons.
A senior State Department official said that China was trying to “have it both ways” by claiming it wants to contribute to peace and stability but at the same time taking “concerning” steps to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The official said Blinken was “quite blunt” in warning about the implications and consequences of China providing material support to Russia or assisting it with systematic sanctions evasion.
In addition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Blinken also condemned the incursion of the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon and “stressed it must never happen again”. He said Wang did not apologise for the balloon’s flight and that he had not discussed with him rescheduling his trip to China.
Wang told Blinken that their countries’ relations had been damaged by how Washington reacted to the balloon, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. He made clear China’s position on the incident and urged the US side to change course, acknowledge and repair the damage that its excessive use of force caused to China-US relations.
Speaking earlier on Saturday, Wang had condemned the US reaction to the balloon as “hysterical and absurd”. He also accused the US of denying China’s economic advances and seeking to impede its further development.
US Vice President Kamala Harris underlined how Washington was “troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began”. She said that “looking ahead, any steps by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killing and further undermine a rules-based order”.
The West has been wary of China’s response to the Ukraine war, with some warning that a Russian victory would colour China’s actions towards Taiwan. Questions have swirled as to whether Blinken and Wang would use the conference in Munich as a chance to reengage in person, and Washington had been hoping to put a “floor” under relations that hit a dangerous low in August with China’s reaction to a Taiwan visit by then-US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Hopes for a reset could be tested again soon, with a high-level Pentagon official arriving in Taiwan for a visit, according to a Financial Times report on Friday. The US military’s downing of the 60-metre (200-ft) balloon on February 4 triggered an uproar in Washington and prompted Blinken to postpone a planned visit to Beijing. It was seen by both sides as an opportunity for them to stabilise increasingly fraught ties between them.