Blinken and Wang Yi Hold Sudden Meeting in Munich... Confirm Differences in Positions Between the Two Countries

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwak Min-jae] Tony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, and Wang Yi, member of the Central Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party, met on the 18th (local time) during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany, but it is reported that only the differences in their positions were confirmed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This is the first meeting between the two countries' top diplomats since the Chinese reconnaissance balloon incident arose.

Previously, Secretary Blinken was scheduled to depart for Beijing on the evening of the 3rd to follow up on the U.S.-China summit talks held last November, but the trip was indefinitely postponed due to the Chinese reconnaissance balloon issue.

Subsequently, the reconnaissance balloon was revealed to be part of an extensive reconnaissance program China had conducted for years in about 40 countries, leading to condemnation of China's violation of sovereignty.

China has continued to claim that the reconnaissance balloon shot down by the U.S. on the 4th was for meteorological research, while the U.S. countered that it also operated reconnaissance balloons over Chinese airspace, worsening the U.S.-China conflict.