US-China meeting only worsens tensions over balloon, Russia

Anthony Blinken cancelled a visit to Beijing once the balloon was spotted. (Image: Getty)

Tue, 21 Feb 2023

By Courtney McBrideThe US and China came to Germany last weekend looking to patch up a new rift opened by the uproar over a Chinese balloon. But a meeting between their top diplomats showed how difficult it will be to compromise.US secretary of state Antony Blinken and China’s state councilor Wang Yi traded barbs on everything from the balloon and Taiwan to North Korea and Russia in their first meeting since the high-altitude craft traversed the US and provoked an acrimonious round of finger pointing. The top US diplomat also said China w...

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