US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that the balloon accident that was shot down by the US military "should never happen again," during a rare meeting Saturday in Munich, Germany.
This is the first personal meeting between officials of the two countries since the uproar over an alleged spy balloon further deteriorated US-Chinese relations.
The US State Department spokesman said that Blinken also warned Wang Yi of "repercussions and consequences" that would affect China if it was found that it had provided "material support" to Russia in its war in Ukraine.
Blinken said that the meeting with his Chinese counterpart did not include rescheduling a date for his visit to China.
This comes on the same day that Wang criticized the United States, describing President Joe Biden's decision to drop a balloon over US airspace and the state of
high alert as "incomprehensible and almost hysterical," according to Bloomberg News.
The meeting was Blinken's first with his Chinese counterpart since US officials condemned Beijing for launching what they said was a high-altitude surveillance balloon
over the United States.
China initially expressed regret over what it said was a weather balloon that had derailed.
It denied that the balloon was intended for surveillance.