在本周末长达一小时的对话中，中美两国的高级外交官与美国国务卿安东尼布林肯(Antony Johnson)曲折地通过了一个充满争议话题的议程向他的对手发出直言不讳的警告关于北京膨胀的间谍气球计划，并担心该国可能会加强对俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的支持。
“我们进行了非常直接、非常明确的对话，内容是中国的监测气球侵犯了我们的领土，违反了国际法，”布林肯在闭门会谈后接受采访时告诉美国广播公司“本周”的联合主播玛莎·拉达茨。“我告诉中国外长王毅，这种行为是不可接受的，绝不能再次发生。”
周六晚些时候，在慕尼黑安全会议期间，布林肯和中国外交部长王毅进行了首次面对面的交流自从发现一架疑似中国侦察机后在美国领空盘旋，促使布林肯在最后一刻放弃访华计划。
漫长的讨论显示了两个超级大国之间的深刻分歧，并引发了人们的担忧，即通常被描述为世界上最重要的双边关系可能正在恶化到危险的低点。
在周日的“本周”节目中，布林肯还明确表示，美国对中国的关切不仅限于间谍活动，他表示，他“越来越担心”中国可能会考虑向俄罗斯提供军事援助，以支持俄罗斯对乌克兰的持续入侵，这是此次峰会的一个焦点。
布林肯说:“中国一直致力于向俄罗斯提供口头上、政治上和外交上的支持。”。“但我们有情报让我们担心，他们正在考虑在对乌克兰的战争中向俄罗斯提供致命支持。对我来说，很重要的一点是，要非常清楚地告诉王毅，这将是一个严重的问题。”
王是否会注意到这个警告还不清楚。包括布林肯在内的美国官员在描述对话中的中国方面时犹豫不决，但表示没有就监视气球事件道歉。
事实上，自飞机于2月4日在南卡罗来纳州海岸被击落以来，中国只是加倍声称气球是一种无害的无人驾驶民用运载工具，这一解释与美国的评估直接冲突。
在与会面的前几个小时，王形容拜登政府的反应是“荒谬和歇斯底里的”
Raddatz向布林肯强调了一些美国官员的观点，即气球飞越美国大陆的路线可能不是最初的计划。
“玛莎，我无法说出他们的本意，”布林肯说。但他强调，一旦气球飞越该国，“气球试图监视非常关键、重要的军事设施。”
在王与接触的最初消息中，北京方面表示，王“就所谓的飞艇事件表达了中国的严正立场，要求美国改变其路线，正视并解决滥用武力造成的损害。”
中国外交部随后发布的一份声明对气球事件和中俄关系采取了更为严厉的态度。
“如果美国继续渲染、炒作或升级局势，它将会以牙还牙。由此产生的一切后果应由美方承担，”中国官员谈到气球时说。
这些官员说，在王会见时，就俄乌问题，王“强调...中国坚持原则，致力于推动和谈。”中国表示，他们与俄罗斯的关系是“全面战略协作伙伴关系”，但坚持认为这种关系“建立在不结盟、不对抗和不针对第三国的基础上”
在接下来的日子里本月早些时候的气球击落事件美国国务院解密的情报显示，中国在40多个国家上空放飞了监视气球，布林肯在“本周”节目中说的一些话是很多慕尼黑官员首先想到的。
“我在这里听到的其他国家、盟国和伙伴对这个项目的担忧是真实的。我认为各国——我本想说‘高兴’,高兴这个词用错了——他们欣赏我们揭露了这一事实，”布林肯告诉雷达兹。
会议的另一个重点是在乌克兰准备应对俄罗斯的另一次进攻之际，继续支持该国。
基辅已经要求F-16战斗机，虽然美国没有排除这种可能性，但布林肯暗示政府还不准备移交飞机。
“我们正与乌克兰人进行非常密切的合作和协调，正是在这个问题上，他们在任何特定时间都需要什么。但是最重要的是:我们任何人都不应该专注于某个特定的武器系统，因为武器系统本身虽然重要，但还不够。你必须确保乌克兰人接受了提供的系统的培训，”布林肯说。“如果他们没有接受过相关培训，他们就无法使用。”
Blinken describes confronting China about spy balloon, warns against military support for Russia
Over an hourlong conversation this weekend, the top diplomats from China and the U.S. zigzagged through an agenda filled with contentious topics, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken issuing blunt warnings to his counterpart regarding Beijing's expansive spy balloon program and fears the country could step up its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"We had a very direct, very clear conversation about the Chinese surveillance balloon being sent over our territory in violation of our sovereignty, in violation of international law," Blinken told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz in an interview just after his closed-door talk. "I told Wang Yi, my Chinese counterpart, that that action was unacceptable and must never happen again."
The meeting, which came together in the late hours of Saturday evening on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, was the first in-person interaction between Blinken and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi since a suspected Chinese surveillance aircraft was spotted hovering over American airspace, prompting Blinken to scuttle plans for a visit to Beijing at the last minute.
The lengthy discussion showcased deep fractures between the two superpowers and prompted fears that what's often described as the world's most consequential bilateral relationship could be deteriorating to dangerous lows.
On "This Week" on Sunday, Blinken also made clear that U.S. concerns about China extend beyond espionage, saying he had voiced his "growing concern" that Beijing may be considering providing military aid to Russia to support its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a focal point of the summit in Munich.
"China has been engaged in providing rhetorical, political, diplomatic support to Russia," Blinken said. "But we have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine. And it was important for me to share very clearly with Wang Yi that this would be a serious problem."
Whether Wang will heed that warning remains unclear. U.S. officials, including Blinken, were hesitant to characterize China's side of the conversation but said that no apology was offered for the surveillance balloon incident.
In fact, in the days since the aircraft was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, China has only doubled down on its claims that the balloon was a harmless, unmanned civilian vehicle -- an explanation that directly conflicts with U.S. assessments.
In the hours before his meeting with Blinken, Wang described the Biden administration's response as "absurd and hysterical."
Raddatz pressed Blinken on the view among some U.S. officials that the path the balloon took over the continental United States may not have been the original plan.
"Martha, I can't speak to their original intent," Blinken said. But he stressed that once the balloon was over the country, "the balloon attempted to surveil very critical, important military installations."
In an initial readout of Wang's engagement with Blinken, Beijing said Wang "expressed China's solemn position on the so-called airship incident, demanding that the United States change its course and face up to and solve the damage caused by the indiscriminate use of force."
A subsequent readout provided by China's Foreign Ministry took a sterner view of both the balloon altercation and China's ties to Russia.
"If the US continues to dramatize, hype up or escalate the situation, it will be met in kind for as long as it takes. All consequences arising thereof shall be borne by the US side," Chinese officials said of the balloon.
The officials said that in Wang's meeting with Blinken, on Russia and Ukraine, Wang "stressed ... China adheres to principles and stays committed to promoting peace talks." The Chinese said their relationship with Russia was a "comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination" but insisted it "is built on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries."
In the days that followed the balloon shoot-down earlier this month, the State Department declassified intelligence that China has overflown surveillance balloons above 40 countries, something Blinken said on "This Week" was top of mind for many officials in Munich.
"There's a real concern that I'm hearing here from other countries, from allies and partners alike, about this program. And I think countries are -- I was gonna say 'pleased,' pleased is the wrong word -- they appreciate the fact that we've exposed it," Blinken told Raddatz.
Another key focus of the conference was sustaining support for Ukraine as the country girds itself for another Russian offensive.
Kyiv has requested F-16 fighter jets, and while the U.S. hasn't ruled out the possibility, Blinken signaled the administration wasn't ready to hand over the aircraft just yet.
"We're in very close collaboration and coordination with the Ukrainians precisely on this question of what do they need at any given time. But what's very important is this: What we should not do, any of us, is to focus or get fixated on any particular weapons system because the weapon system itself, as important as it is, is not is not sufficient. You have to make sure that Ukrainians are trained on the systems that are being provided," Blinken said. "If they're not trained on them, they can't use them."
