Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. It was the first meeting with the Chinese since Blinken’s visit to China was canceled amid the furor over the Chinese spy balloon incident.

Just met with the PRC’s top diplomat, Wang Yi. I condemned the incursion of the PRC surveillance balloon and stressed it must never happen again. I warned China against providing materiel support to Russia. I also emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 18, 2023

Though Blinken expressed condemnation over the spy balloon incident, he acknowledged that there was no apology from Wang for the incident.

Blinken joined Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” Sunday morning to discuss the meeting and the strained relationship with China. From the transcript of his appearance:

CHUCK TODD:

Well, look, let me start with the news of the moment, at least for you. I know you just got out of a meeting that in diplomatic terms is called on the margins with your counterpart, Wang Yi of China. I have read the readout we have stated about what you said to him, I guess what I’m more concerned about is what did he say to you? Number one, did it begin with an apology for the balloon?

SEC. ANTONY BLINKEN:

Chuck, I don’t want to characterize what, what he said. I don’t think that would be appropriate. Although I can tell you, no, there was no apology. But what I can also tell you is this was an opportunity to speak very clearly and very directly about the fact that China sent a surveillance balloon over our territory, violating our sovereignty, violating international law. And, I told him quite simply that that was unacceptable and can never happen again. We’re, of course, not the only ones on the receiving end of these surveillance balloons. More than forty countries have had these balloons fly over them in recent years, and that’s been exposed to the world.

Blinken confirmed that there’s no doubt it was a surveillance balloon, maneuvered over particular sites intentionally.

CHUCK TODD:

Do we still believe that the balloon – the surveillance balloon over the continental United States was an intentional act or do you believe that part of it was an accident?

SEC. ANTONY BLINKEN:

Well, Chuck, what I can tell you is this. What is clear is that, once the balloon was over the United States and flying basically west to east, it attempted to surveil very sensitive military sites. In some cases, it loitered or returned to them as it progressed east. So there’s no doubt in our minds at all that, A) this was a surveillance balloon, and, B) it was attempting to engage in active surveillance.

When Todd asked if we’re, in effect, in a cold war with China, Blinken declined to assign it a label.

WATCH: Is the U.S. in a cold war with China?

Secretary of State Blinken says the U.S. intends “to make sure, to the best of our ability, that competition doesn't veer into conflict or into cold war.”@SecBlinken: “You can't reduce this to a bumper sticker or to a label.” pic.twitter.com/c5TCeRQVAk

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 19, 2023

CHUCK TODD:

I want to go back to your readout with your Chinese counterpart. The other thing you said in there is you reemphasized the issue that we don’t want to have a cold war with China. But what else do you describe our relationship with them? We’re expanding our military presence in Guam. We’re expanding our military presence in the Philippines. We’re expanding our military presence in Australia. We’re helping Japan essentially change its national security posture. We continue to arm Taiwan and send weapons there. If it’s not a cold war, what is it?

SEC. ANTONY BLINKEN:

Chuck, this is obviously among the most consequential but also complex relationships that we have, and probably the same could be said for many other countries around the world. And of course we’re in a vigorous competition with China, and that’s something we’re not at all shy about. We intend to compete very vigorously, and we’ve taken important steps over the last couple of years to invest in ourselves so that we compete effectively. But also to align with allies and partners around the world so that we have a shared approach to some of the challenges that China poses. And as we’re doing that, we have a strong interest in trying to manage the relationship responsibly, and to make sure, to the best of our ability, that competition doesn’t veer into conflict or into cold war. I don’t think that’s in our interest. And also, it’s important to note that there are some very big issues out there that are affecting all of our citizens and affecting people around the world where, if we can, it would be in our interest to find ways to cooperate on climate, on global health, on the macroeconomic situation around the world. And we have a responsibility to at least try to do that. So that’s why I say you can’t reduce this to a bumper sticker or to a label. It’s complicated, it’s consequential and we need to manage it responsibly.

It wasn’t just the balloon incident they covered. Blinken emphasized concerns that China may be considering supporting Russia in its war with Ukraine, including lethal assistance. He was critical of China’s seeming effort “to have it both ways.”

EARLIER: Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China of “serious consequences” for supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine.@SecBlinken: “We are very concerned that China’s considering providing lethal support to Russia in its aggression against Ukraine.” pic.twitter.com/SZ83iLfogd

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 19, 2023

CHUCK TODD: I want to start with what I think is the newer piece of information that you’re sharing, and I know that we’ve been reporting separately, this concern that China is considering potential lethal aid in this war to Russia. What evidence can you share with us that indicates your concern that they’re going to escalate their help to Russia? As you said, they’ve been helping them rhetorically. They’ve been helping them maybe by buying cheap oil. But what is the other evidence that you have here that they’re thinking about doing more?

SECRETARY ANTONY BLINKEN: Well, Chuck, China’s trying to have it both ways. Publicly, they present themselves as a country striving for peace in Ukraine. But privately, as I said, we’ve seen already over these past months the provision of nonlethal assistance that does go directly to aiding and abetting Russia’s war effort. And some further information that we are sharing today and that I think will be out there soon that indicates that they are strongly considering providing lethal assistance to Russia. To the best of our knowledge, they haven’t—

CHUCK TODD: What form—

SECRETARY ANTONY BLINKEN: –crossed that line yet. But as we’re sharing—

CHUCK TODD: Yeah, in what form?

SECRETARY ANTONY BLINKEN: Chuck, I don’t want to get into the details in this moment. But there are various kinds of lethal assistance that they are at least contemplating providing, to include weapons.

CHUCK TODD: What else would you describe as lethal assistance that wasn’t weapons?

SECRETARY ANTONY BLINKEN: Well, again, I’ll let the information that we have and that we’re sharing speak for itself. But the main concern is material support to Russia’s war effort that would have a lethal effect.

CHUCK TODD: The material support, I understand you want to let it speak for itself. Can you give me a little bit more here? I mean, that’s a huge charge. I mean, we’re at another level of escalation here if our two biggest rivals are now in cahoots in a war essentially against the west.

SECRETARY ANTONY BLINKEN: Chuck, what I want to stress is this. We see China considering this; we have not seen them cross that line. So I think it’s important that we make clear, as I did this evening in my meeting with Wang Li, that this is something that is of deep concern to us. And I made clear the importance of not crossing that line, and the fact that it would have serious consequences in our own relationship, something that we do not need on top of the balloon incident that China’s engaged in.

So, the administration has emphasized to China “the importance of not crossing that line.” Whether China views it in the same light is, of course, another matter, given their outward mocking of the U.S. and its response to the balloon incident.

Before the meeting, Wang Yi mocked America, saying its response to the Chinese balloon was “absurd and hysterical,” adding that China would take “countermeasures” against U.S. entities involved in shooting down the balloon.