China’s senior overseas minister provided “no apology” in his assembly with Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the spy balloon that floated over the U.S., Blinken stated in an interview Saturday on NBC Information’ “Meet the Press.”

“There was no apology,” Blinken stated of his dialog with Wang Yi, director of the Individuals’s Republic of China CCP Central International Affairs workplace. “However what I may let you know is that this was a chance to talk very clearly and really straight about the truth that China despatched a surveillance balloon over our territory, violating our sovereignty, violating worldwide legislation.”

“And I informed him fairly merely that that was unacceptable and may by no means occur once more,” Blinken stated.

Blinken met with Wang on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Safety Convention in Germany previous to the interview.

Within the interview, he additionally voiced concern that China is aiding the Russians of their struggle in Ukraine. NBC Information completely reported Saturday that U.S. officers consider China could also be offering Russia nonlethal army help.

“We’re very involved that China’s contemplating offering deadly help to Russia in its aggression towards Ukraine,” Blinken stated, “and I made clear that that will have critical penalties in our relationship, as nicely one thing that President [Joe] Biden has shared straight with President Xi [Jinping] on a number of events.”

Lastly, Blinken stated he informed Wang that there ought to be open strains of communication between China and the U.S: “That is one thing that the world expects of us — they anticipate us to handle this relationship responsibly, and so it was necessary that we had that chance this night right here in Munich.”

Blinken stated the U.S. is not the one nation that has been topic to Chinese language spy balloons. “Greater than forty international locations have had these balloons fly over them lately, and that is been uncovered to the world,” Blinken stated.

Diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and China have elevated for the reason that U.S. shot down what it says was a spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. China has insisted the balloon was not meant for surveillance.

The balloon, which floated above U.S. for eight days, included “a number of antennas” able to accumulating alerts intelligence and the balloon maker has confirmed ties to the Chinese language army, NBC Information beforehand reported, in accordance with a senior State Division official.

The U.S. has not heard any credible clarification and firmly stands by its evaluation that it was a surveillance balloon, a senior State Division official stated Saturday.