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On the sidelines of the ongoing Munich Security Conference (MSC), U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Saturday (Feb. 18), spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Ned Price told the press.

This is the highest level of contact between the two nations ever since a stray balloon belonging to China was shot down over U.S. airspace, NPR wrote.

The balloon has been accused by the U.S. as being used for surveillance activities, though China has maintained that it was for civilian research purposes.

Unacceptable violation of sovereignty

During the meeting with Wang, Blinken drew a line in the sand, according to spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Ned Price.

"The Secretary directly spoke to the unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law by the PRC high-altitude surveillance balloon in U.S. territorial airspace, underscoring that this irresponsible act must never again occur", Price said.

"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", Price added.

Wang stuck by China's position

Commenting on the meeting, Blinken later said that "there was no apology" from Wang, CNBC reported.

China's state-run news agency CGTN reported that the meeting was requested for by the U.S., and that Wang made clear China's "solemn position" on the incident.

Wang urged the U.S. side to "change course, acknowledge and repair the damage that its excessive use of force caused to China-U.S. relations", according to CGTN.

Diplomat lashed out at U.S. prior to meeting

Speaking at the MSC, Wang maintained that the balloon was used for civilian purposes, Bloomberg reported.

Wang characterised the U.S. decision to shoot down the ballon as "incomprehensible", "almost hysterical" and "100% an abuse of military force" which violated international norms, Bloomberg wrote.

While Wang had initially expressed regret regarding the balloon's discovery, the diplomat took a more critical stance following the decision by the U.S. to shoot down the balloon.

At the time Wang made the remarks, Bloomberg wrote that there were no plans for the U.S. side to meet with Wang, though a sideline meeting was being speculated on.

Issues on Russia, North Korea, Taiwan

On top of addressing the balloon incident, Pierce shared that Blinken also touched on other geopolitical issues.

Blinken took the opportunity to reiterate the "implications and consequences" should China choose to materially support Russia in its "brutal war" against Ukraine.

He also condemned North Korea's most recent missile test on Feb. 18, which lobbed a long-range ballistic missile over Japan and into the waters off the coast of Hokkaido.

The test was launched by the North in protest of U.S. and South Korea military drills.

On this front, Blinken emphasised to Wang "the need for responsible powers to respond to such significant international challenges".

Blinken also reaffirmed that there has been no change to the one China policy, and underscored the importance of stable and peaceful cross strait relations in Taiwan.

Though affirming that the U.S. "will compete and will unapologetically stand up for its values and interests", Price said Blinken told the Chinese diplomat that the U.S. was not seeking a new cold war.

"The Secretary underscored the importance of maintaining diplomatic dialogue and open lines of communication at all times", Price added.

Top image Antony Blinken/Facebook, Wikimedia Commons