China's top diplomat on Saturday renewed Beijing's criticism of the United States for shooting down what Washington says was a Chinese spy balloon, arguing at a conference in Germany that the move doesn't point to U.S. strength.
The top diplomats from the United States and China met on Saturday in the first high-level contact between their countries since the U.S. shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon two weeks ago, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken sending the message that Beijing's surveillance program had been "exposed to the world."
His spokesman, Ned Price, said in a statement that Blinken "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 airspace of over 40 countries across five continents -- has been exposed to the world," Price said.
"The United States will compete and will unapologetically stand up for our values and interests, but that we do not want conflict with the PRC and are not looking for a new Cold War," Price said. Blinken "underscored the importance of maintaining diplomatic dialogue and open lines of communication at all times."
Earlier Saturday, Wang had renewed Beijing's criticism of the United States for shooting down the balloon, arguing that the move did not point to U.S. strength. "The actions don't show that the U.S. is big and strong, but describe the exact opposite," Wang said.
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