Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi has had an unofficial engagement with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Munich, Germany, and discussed the so-called airship incident, the Ukraine situation and the Taiwan question, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
At the request of the U.S. side, Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met Blinken on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference Saturday local time.
The meeting between the two senior officials came nearly two weeks after the U.S. shot down an unmanned Chinese civilian airship that had deviated from its planned course and entered the U.S. airspace due to force majeure.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, told Blinken what the U.S. has done is a typically excessive use of force, which clearly violates international practices and the Convention on International Civil Aviation, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The U.S. is the number one country in surveillance and reconnaissance, Wang said. “With its own high-altitude balloons having illegally flown over China many times, the U.S. is in no position to smear and discredit China.”
What the U.S. side needs to do is to show sincerity, acknowledge and repair the damage its excessive use of force has caused to China-U.S. relations, he said.
But if the U.S. insists on exploiting the issue and hyping it up to escalate or worsen the situation, China is ready to make due response, he said. “All consequences will be borne by the U.S. side.”
On Ukraine and China-Russia ties
On the Ukraine issue, China has been playing a constructive role by adhering to principles and promoting peace talks, Wang underscored during the meeting with the U.S. side.
He noted that China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, which is based on non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of any third party, is a matter within the sovereignty of two independent countries.
“We have never accepted any moralizing, coercing or pressure on China-Russia relations from the United States,” said Wang.
As a major country, the U.S. should promote a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, instead of pouring oil on the fire or taking advantage of it for its own gains, urged the senior Chinese official.
On Taiwan question
During the talks, Wang also made clear to the U.S. side that to maintain stability across the Taiwan Straits, it is a must to firmly oppose “Taiwan independence” and adhere to the one-China principle in its real sense.
On the Taiwan question, the U.S. side should respect historical facts, honor its political commitment, and follow its statement that it does not support “Taiwan independence,” with real actions, he said.
