Antony Blinken Warns China of ‘Serious Consequences’ Over Russia Support Amid Spy Balloon Tensions

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to the rising tensions between the U.S. and China between their dealings with the Russians and the fallout from the recent spy balloon incident.

Speaking with Chuck Todd on Meet The Press, Blinken said he received no apology for the spy balloon from China’s envoy to the Munich Security Conference. Blinken also rejected China’s counterclaims of the American spycrafts flying over their country, and he explained how he told China’s diplomat that the spy balloon’s traversal across America was “unacceptable.”

What I can also tell you is this was an opportunity to speak very clearly and very directly about the fact that China sent a surveillance balloon over our territory, violating our sovereignty, violating international law. And I told him quite simply that that was unacceptable and can never happen again. We’re of course not the only ones on the receiving end of these surveillance balloons. More than 40 countries have had these balloons fly over them in recent years, and that’s been exposed to the world.

The secretary focused on how China continues to economically support Russia one year into the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Blinken was specifically concerned that China is considering providing lethal support to Russia in its aggression against Ukraine.

“I made clear that that would have serious consequences in our relationship as well,” Blinken emphasized. “Something that President Biden has shared directly with President Xi on several occasions.”

Todd followed up by asking what evidence is there of China preparing “to escalate their help to Russia?” Blinken answered by referring to China’s nonlethal support for Russia’s war effort, and he teased the reveal of upcoming information to suggest China’s lethal assistance to the Russians.

Throughout the interview, Blinken argued in favor of maintaining diplomatic channels with China. While he spoke of the U.S. being in a “vigorous competition with China,” he also said that “we have a strong interest in trying to manage the relationship responsibly, and to make sure, to the best of our ability, that competition doesn’t veer into conflict or into cold war. I don’t think that’s in our interest.”

Watch above via NBC.