Blinken warns China’s Wang Yi that spy balloon incident ‘must never occur again’

Amid the ongoing balloon controversy, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held rare talks with China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Saturday during which he warned Beijing that the "irresponsible act" of flying a spy balloon into America's airspace must not be repeated.The two leaders' highly anticipated meeting took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference as tensions continue to grow between Beijing and Washington. US security officials have been in a state of alarm after they spotted a huge white balloon, which allegedly belonged to China, flying over various secretive nuclear weapons sites of the country after which it was shot down on February 4.

The balloon controversy led to Blinken abruptly cancelling his scheduled trip to China. Beijing has denied having any spy balloons and has continued to claim that the one that strayed into US airspace was just for weather research.

China has further accused the US of flying its own spy balloon over territories belonging to China, a claim that the US instantly denied.

During their rare meeting on 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", said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

"The secretary made clear the United States will not stand for any violation of our sovereignty," he further stated. Blinken also warned Wang "about the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia or assistance with systemic sanctions evasion", said Price.

Blinken was "very direct and candid" during the meeting which continued for an hour, a senior State Department official said. Wang, during the meeting, informed Blinken that the relations between the two countries have suffered serious damages due to the wayin which Washington reacted to the balloon.

WATCH | US recovers debris of Chinese balloon; FBI to analyse downed spy 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," reported Xinhua, China's state news agency.

No apology

While speaking in an interview with NBC, Blinken said that no apology was given by Wang over the balloon spat.

"I told him quite simply that that was unacceptable and can never happen again," said Blinken, as he referred to the violation of the US air space by the Chinese spy balloon. "There was no apology," he added, further stating that no discussion took place with Wang regarding rescheduling the US secretary's trip to China.

Earlier, on Saturday, while addressing a gathering of world leaders in Munich, Wang had said that the reaction of the US after spotting the balloon was "hysterical and absurd".

"To have dispatched an advanced fighter jet to shoot down a balloon with a missile, such behaviour is unbelievable, almost hysterical," Wang said.

"There are so many balloons all over the world, and various countries have them. So, is the United States going to shoot all of them down?" he said.

Wang Yi warned against aiding Russia in Ukraine's invasion

Blinken further warned Wang Yi that China may have to face consequences if it will provide aid to Russia in its war against Ukraine, as he expressed Washington's concerns regarding the supply of weapons by Beijing to Moscow.

Blinken, in an interview which will be aired on NBC News' "Meet the Press with Chuck Todd” on Sunday morning, said that the US is concerned about China supporting Russia by supplying lethal weapons and that he clearly spoke to Wang that “it would have serious consequences in our relationship”.

"There are various kinds of lethal assistance that they are at least contemplating providing, to include weapons," said Blinken, adding that more details will be released by Washington soon.

State Department's senior official, while speaking to reporters, said, "(The) secretary was quite blunt in warning about the implications and consequences of China providing material support to Russia or assisting Russia with systematic sanctions evasion.”

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE