Wang Yi, the Chinese communist regime’s top diplomat, called the United States’s shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon “absurd and hysterical” at Munich Security Conference on Feb. 18 when he met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Chinese balloon breached U.S. airspace flying across the country at the end of January and was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean by the U.S. military at the beginning of February. The incident escalated the tension between the two countries. In response, Blinken postponed his planned official visit to China.
![Top Chinese Diplomat Slams US Over Balloon Incident at Security Conference; May Elevate US-Taiwan Relations: Experts 2 2023 Munich Security Conference](https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/18/GettyImages-1247252714-600x400.jpg)
The Chinese regime has continued to claim that the balloon was for civilian use and blew off course to the airspace of the United States. But Washington said it was clearly a surveillance balloon, with electronics mounted on its massive chassis.
Experts pointed out that the balloon incident has brought the mutual trust between the United States and China to the brink of bankruptcy, and has consequently enhanced Taiwan-U.S. relations.
A Political Show
Wang Juntao, chairman of the National Committee of China Democracy Party, said of Wang’s strong remarks, “I think he is out of words now to justify the incident, and he is just putting on a political show.”
Wang pointed out that Wang Yi is not the one in charge and any decision won’t be made until the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) head Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden talk on the phone.
“Wang Yi came [to the Munich Security Conference] prepared, nevertheless, I think he was to create some opportunities for Xi. If Xi softens his stance with the United States now, the United States may really look down on him. Now he let Wang Yi challenge the United States to make things difficult for them.”
Wang Juntao has a research background in weather balloons. He told The Epoch Times that more accurate data on China’s meteorology are in the hands of the CCP’s military, and they are classified as so-called national strategic resources. “The better instruments are also in the hands of the military. So even if it is a weather balloon, it has the capability to fly outside China and cross the whole United States, it must belong to the military, not civilians.”
![Top Chinese Diplomat Slams US Over Balloon Incident at Security Conference; May Elevate US-Taiwan Relations: Experts 3 A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floats off the coast in Surfside Beach](https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2023/02/17/2023-02-06T003511Z_1_LYNXMPEJ1500E_RTROPTP_4_USA-CHINA-SPY-600x299.jpg)
Fan Shih-Ping, a professor at the Department of East Asian Studies at National Taiwan Normal University, told The Epoch Times on Feb. 19 that Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing should have been regarded as an opportunity to improve U.S.-China relations, “but because of the balloon incident, the U.S. has greatly increased concerns and doubts about the CCP. Now the mutual trust between the United States and China is on the verge of bankruptcy.”
He believes that for the CCP, it originally hoped that China-U.S. relations would be in a better state before its two sessions top political meeting in March. But now its expectations have failed, so it blames the United States. It’s frustrated and angry.
The two sessions usually lead to a reshuffling of the CCP’s top political circle.
Fan said, “The general public in the United States may have thought that the China [CCP] threat theory was a bit exaggerated. But judging from this balloon incident, they have started to feel that the threat of China [the CCP] to the United States does exist.”
Fan also pointed out that the balloon incident has increased Americans’ sympathy and support for Taiwan and enhanced Taiwan-U.S. relations. “Sino-U.S. relations are very cold now, but Taiwan-U.S. relations are hot. This has formed a great contrast.”
Top Officials Visits
The Pentagon’s top China official Michael Chase who’s the deputy assistant secretary of defense for China paid a rare visit to Taiwan on Feb. 17 following the shooting down of the Chinese spy balloon.
A congressional delegation led by U.S. Representative Ro Khanna visited Taiwan from Feb. 19 to Feb. 23.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu made a rare visit to Washington meeting with White House Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Feb. 21.
Ning Haizhong and Luo Ya contributed to this report.