U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes fingers with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi throughout a gathering in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on July 9, 2022.

Stefani Reynolds/POOL/AFP through Getty Images

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Stefani Reynolds/POOL/AFP through Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes fingers with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi throughout a gathering in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on July 9, 2022.

Stefani Reynolds/POOL/AFP through Getty Images

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China’s prime diplomat, Wang Yi, are planning to fulfill for talks this weekend in what would be the highest stage contact between the U.S. and China since the balloon crisis blew up earlier this month, a supply with data of the matter mentioned.

The assembly will happen in Munich, Germany, the place each are attending a worldwide safety convention, mentioned the supply, who declined to be recognized as a result of he was not approved to talk to the media.

Tension between China and the United States has spiked because the Feb. 4 shoot-down of what the Biden administration says was a Chinese surveillance balloon that had floated throughout the continental U.S.

Beijing insists the balloon was a civilian craft for scientific analysis, and that capturing it down was an overreaction and a violation of worldwide observe.

The incident got here at a time of already heightened pressure between Beijing and Washington — however with either side beginning to take small steps to attempt to stop relations from deteriorating additional. Blinken had been scheduled to go to Beijing on Feb. 5-6, however postponed the journey after the balloon made headlines when it was sighted within the skies over Montana.

The State Department and China’s overseas ministry didn’t instantly reply to questions in regards to the assembly.

It’s unclear how useful a gathering between Blinken and Wang shall be in stabilizing bilateral relations, on condition that either side have dug of their heels on the balloon.

Biden on Thursday mentioned he would discuss with Chinese chief Xi Jinping in regards to the incident, however would make no apologies for capturing down the balloon.

On Friday, a Chinese overseas ministry spokesman mentioned the U.S. couldn’t search dialogue whereas on the similar time taking steps to deepen the disaster, a attainable reference to sanctions the U.S. imposed on six Chinese firms in response to the balloon incident.