In China, they said they were not responsible for the deterioration of relations with the U.S.

BEIJING, April 11.

Beijing is not responsible for the deterioration of Sino-US bilateral relations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said this at a briefing on Tuesday.

“China is not responsible for the current difficulties in Sino-US relations,” Wang Wenbin commented on the dynamics of the two countries’ relations after the incident with the Chinese balloon.

He added that Washington should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, harming China’s interests and setting up barriers to the development of Sino-U.S. relations.

Wang Wenbin said that the U.S. should meet China halfway in order to get the interaction between the two countries back on track.

Politico earlier reported, citing sources, that Beijing is not in the mood for diplomatic contacts with Washington and is not agreeing to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s proposal to set a new date for a visit to China.

Blinken postponed a visit to China in February after U.S. authorities in late January spotted a Chinese balloon over the mainland at an altitude well above standard parameters for commercial air travel. On February 4, the balloon was shot down by a missile in U.S. airspace. According to the Washington administration, China was using the balloon to gather important information. The Chinese Foreign Ministry protested the attacks and slander from Washington in this connection. Beijing explained that the Chinese meteorological probe was in U.S. airspace by accident.

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