China’s top diplomat lashed out at the US, calling President Joe Biden’s decision to shoot a balloon over American air space and the heightened state of alert “near-hysterical behavior.”
The comments by Wang Yi, who holds the top foreign-policy position in China’s ruling Communist Party, increased tensions the Biden administration, which says the floating object was being used for spying. He spoke at the Munich Security Conference, where Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were also holding meetings.
“This near-hysterical behavior shows the ignorance and prejudice the US holds against China has reached a ridiculous level,” Wang said after meeting with Pakistan’s foreign minister Friday, according to a statement from Chinese Foreign Ministry.
In some of the most fiery comments yet over the incident, Wang reinforced Beijing’s position that the balloon was for civilian use and criticized the US for “ignoring basic facts.” Harris and Blinken don’t yet have plans to meet with Wang as of Saturday, amid speculation of a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the conference in the Bavarian capital.
The downing of balloon over the Atlantic coast prompted Blinken to postpone a visit to China, disrupting efforts to stabilize relations between the two countries. The US leader said Friday that he aims to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping to “get to the bottom” of the balloon spat, without specifying when.
While China initially expressed regret over what it said was the balloon’s accidental diversion over US territory, it has denied that the craft was intended for surveillance and denounced the decision to shoot it down as an overreaction.
(Bloomberg)
