Space Industry and Business News
SUPERPOWERS
Blinken, China's top diplomat in 'direct, candid talks' amid balloon spat
Blinken, China's top diplomat in 'direct, candid talks' amid balloon spat
By Hui Min NEO and Leon BRUNEAU
Munich, Germany (AFP) Feb 18, 2023

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China not to repeat its "irresponsible act" of sending a spy balloon into American airspace, as he held rare talks late Saturday with China's top diplomat Wang Yi.

The highly anticipated meeting of the two senior officials came on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing.

The US has been in a state of alarm since a huge white balloon from China was spotted over a series of secret nuclear weapons sites, before being shot down just off the east coast on February 4.

The incident led Blinken to abruptly call off a rare trip to China.

Beijing denies it uses spy balloons and says the craft was for weather research. Subsequently it accused Washington of sending its own espionage balloons over Chinese territory, which the US has denied.

During their encounter Saturday, Blinken "directly spoke to the unacceptable violation of US sovereignty and international law by (China's) high-altitude surveillance balloon in US territorial airspace, underscoring that this irresponsible act must never again occur", State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

"The Secretary made clear the United States will not stand for any violation of our sovereignty," he added.

He also warned Wang "about the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia or assistance with systemic sanctions evasion", Price said.

Blinken was "very direct and candid" during the talks, which lasted around an hour, according to a senior State Department official.

He was also "quite blunt" as they spoke about Russia, the official said.

In turn, Wang told Blinken that their countries' relations had been damaged by how Washington reacted to the balloon.

Wang "made clear China's solemn position on the so-called airship 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," state news agency Xinhua reported.

Speaking earlier Saturday at the gathering of world leaders in Munich, Wang had condemned the US reaction to the balloon as "hysterical and absurd".

- 'Misguided' -

In uncharacteristically strong remarks against Washington, Wang said President Joe Biden's administration had a "misguided" perception of Beijing.

And he accused the United States of trying to "smear" the Asian giant while Washington itself was implementing policies that ran counter to its paradigms, such as free trade.

"There are many balloons from many countries in the sky. Do you want to down each and every one of them?" Wang said.

"We urge the United States not to do such preposterous things simply to divert attention from its own domestic problems."

Asked then if he was planning to meet with the US delegation, Wang had accused Washington of taking a wrong view of China as a serious geopolitical challenge and a threat to the United States.

"This is a misguided perception of China, and with this perception, the United States is using all of its means to smear and clamp down China, and is co-opting other countries to do the same," he said.

Wang accused the US instead of "100-percent protectionism, 100-percent self-servingness, 100-percent unilateral action" in its own economic policies, such as the Chips Act that earmarks billions of dollars for subsidies and research in the semiconductor sector.

He added that he hoped Washington would "take a pragmatic and proactive attitude" towards China and restore relations to a "track of sound development".

- 'Don't make same mistake' -

After four years of antagonistic relations with China under his predecessor Donald Trump, Biden has made a priority of resetting relations with Beijing, which he describes as Washington's biggest competitor.

But tensions flared last year after Nancy Pelosi, then leader of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island claimed by Beijing.

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 Friday.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has also led Western powers to cast a wary eye on the relations between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping, who call each other "friends".

Also in Munich, US Vice President Kamala Harris underlined how Washington was "troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began".

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said "Beijing is watching closely to see the price Russia pays, or the reward it receives for its aggression."

"What is happening in Europe today could happen in East Asia tomorrow," he warned.

Stoltenberg also said Moscow's assault had exposed the dangers of Europe's over-reliance on authoritarian regimes. It should serve as a lesson as the continent pursued relations with Beijing, he argued.

"We should not make the same mistake with China and other authoritarian regimes."

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SUPERPOWERS
NATO chief says give Ukraine what they need to win': Warns on Russia, China ties
Munich, Germany (AFP) Feb 18, 2023
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is Saturday expected to tell a major security forum in Germany that allies must provide Ukraine what it needs to defeat Russia, as Kyiv pleads for more weapons. "We must give Ukraine what they need to win and prevail as a sovereign, independent nation in Europe," he will tell the Munich Security Conference, according to excerpts of his speech seen by AFP. His comments to world leaders will come ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia sending its troop ... read more

SUPERPOWERS
High efficiency mid- and long-wave optical parametric oscillator pump source and its applications

D-Orbit signs launch contract with Patriot Infovention

'Magic' solvent creates stronger thin films

Space Station research announcement for advanced materials and manufacturing open now

SUPERPOWERS
Multi aircraft and naval ships showcase interoperability

SES, ThinKom and Hughes enable multi-orbit resilient connectivity for critical airborne missions

Comtech receives additional funding for US Army Communications

GIT becomes Iridium Certus Service Provider to DoD and other Government customers

SUPERPOWERS
SUPERPOWERS
GEODNET offers centimeter precision and GNSS corrections for OEMS and Ag Sector

New Galileo service set to deliver 20 cm accuracy

HawkEye 360 to monitor GPS interference in support of the US Space Force

Falcon 9 launches sixth GPS 3 satellite

SUPERPOWERS
Germany's Rheinmetall set to produce parts for F-35 jets

US reaffirms pledge to deliver jets to Turkey

Lawmakers ask US to rescind Nigeria helicopter sale over rights

US reaffirms pledge to deliver jets to Turkey

SUPERPOWERS
Engineers discover a new way to control atomic nuclei as "qubits"

Quantum Australia: Hear global insiders map out next phase of the boom

Encoding breakthrough allows for solving wider set of applications using neutral-atom quantum computers

Tech firm ASML probes info leak in China

SUPERPOWERS
Esri releases new app to easily view and analyze global land-cover changes

EagleView expands imagery archive and resolution options for all enterprise customers

Ursa Space launches Python Toolbox API on Esri ArcGIS Pro Software

New space capability mapping tool unveiled at the 2023 Avalon Airshow

SUPERPOWERS
Kenya's Ruto urges accountability for world polluters

Study finds watching TV is good for the planet

Donated clothing worsening Kenya's plastic pollution: report

Sinkholes sow fear in former Polish mining town

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.