US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned China against providing “lethal support” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and condemned the violation of United States airspace by an alleged Chinese spying balloon as he held rare talks with Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi.

Blinken and Wang held talks on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday. Hours after, Chinese diplomat Wang scolded Washington as “hysterical” in a running dispute over the US’s downing of the suspected Chinese spy balloon.

Relations between the two countries have been fraught since Washington said China flew a spy balloon over the country before US fighter jets shot it down on President Joe Biden’s orders. The dispute also came at a time when the West is closely watching Beijing’s response to the Ukraine war.

The secretary warned about the implications and consequences of China, providing material support to Russia or assisting Russia with systematic sanctions evasion.

Russia and China signed a “no limits” partnership last February shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and their economic links have boomed as Moscow’s connections with the West have shriveled.

The West has been wary of China’s response to the Ukraine war, with some warning that a Russian victory would colour China’s actions towards Taiwan. China has refrained from condemning the war or calling it an “invasion”.

Dispute over 'spy balloon' has clouded U.S.-China relations.

China reacted angrily when the US military downed the 60-meter (200-ft) balloon on February 4, saying it was monitoring weather conditions and had blown off course.

Washington said it was clearly a surveillance balloon with a massive undercarriage holding electronics.

For his part, Wang told Blinken that their countries’ relations had been damaged by how Washington reacted to the balloon, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Wang “made clear China’s solemn position on the so-called airship incident” and “urged the US side to change course, acknowledge and repair the damage that its excessive use of force caused to China-US relations”.