The U.S. accused China of debating whether or not to begin providing Russia with weapons during Moscow’s war with Ukraine that Washington warned would be considered a “red line” and prompt a U.S. response. 

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, told CNN Sunday that she welcomes China’s earlier comment that it wants peace, but “we also have to be clear that if there are any thoughts and efforts by the Chinese and others to provide lethal support to the Russians in their brutal attack against Ukraine that that is unacceptable.”

“That would be a red line,” she said.

The Financial Times reported that American and Chinese officials met with each other on Saturday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi during the Munich Security Conference. Blinken brought up the “spy” balloon that has been engaged by fighter jets and also warned of consequences for U.S.-China relations if lethal aid is provided to Russia. He told reporters that President Joe Biden has told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping similar comments in the past.

China said it would never allow Washington to “dictate” the terms of its relationship with the Kremlin. Wang called Washington’s decision to shoot down these balloons as “hysterical and absurd.”

“Across the globe there are many balloons from many countries. Do you want to shoot down every one of them?” he asked. “It did not show that the U.S. is strong. On the contrary, it showed the opposite. We urge the US not to do such preposterous things in order to divert attention from its domestic problems.”

Wang told reporters that it has been the U.S., not China, that has “been pouring weapons into the battlefield.”

“The U.S. is in no position to tell China what to do. We would never stand for finger-pointing, or even coercion and pressurizing from the U.S. on our relations with Russia,” he said.

He said the international community is “fully aware” of who is calling for dialogue and looking for peace, and what countries are “fanning the flames and stoking confrontation.”

“We urge the US side to seriously reflect on the role it has played, do something to actually help de-escalate the situation and promote peace talks, and stop deflecting the blame and spreading disinformation,” he said.

TRENDPOST: Earlier this month, the cover of The Trends Journal featured a Chinese “spy” balloon with U.S. missiles headed in its direction. The headline read: “POP GOES THE WEASEL: HOW MANY U.S. FIGHTER JETS DOES IT TAKE TO DOWN A WEATHER BALLOON.”

The incident sparked U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone his upcoming trip to China and, once again, brought politicians from both sides of the aisle together in their shared hatred for China.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tweeted that China’s “brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent.” (It is worth noting that he has plans to visit Taiwan at some point, keeping up with the U.S. tradition of destabilizing the Pacific.)

Biden announced last week that the devices that were shot down may be tied to private firms related to research or recreation. 

“But make no mistake, if any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down.”