China has responded coolly to US President Joe Biden’s offer to discuss the spy balloon issue. “The US cannot, on the one hand, inflame tensions and escalate the crisis, and then, on the other hand, demand communication and dialogue,” Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Beijing foreign ministry, said on Friday.
Biden had previously indicated that he wanted to discuss the matter with Chinese state leader Xi Jinping.
The fact that the Chinese balloon flew into the airspace of the United States was an unexpected and unintended event, Wang Wenbin said. At the same time, it can also be seen as a test of how adequately the US handles a crisis and how genuine its desire to stabilize relations with China, it said. Disagreements and unforeseen events must be “handled appropriately” and misunderstandings avoided, Wenbin added.
Asked about a possible meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, he said there was nothing to report on that either.
US President Joe Biden said he would definitely talk about the spy balloon hoopla with President Xi on Thursday. “We don’t want another Cold War,” he said. “And we will continue to talk with China.”
