On February 18, 2023 local time, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi attended and delivered a keynote speech at the 59th Munich Security Conference in Germany. After the speech, he answered questions on China-US relations.

Wang Yi said the recent so-called “unmanned airship incident” has drawn extensive attention. In fact, it is a political farce manufactured by the United States. China explained very clearly to the US that it was a civilian unmanned airship, which, affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, deviated from its planned course and entered the US airspace. China asked the United States to work with the Chinese side to properly handle it in a rational, calm and professional manner. But regrettably, the US turned a blind eye to the basic facts and blatantly shot down the airship that posed no threat at all by firing a missile from a fighter jet. This mind-boggling and hysterical act is a hundred percent abuse of force and a clear violation of common practice and relevant international conventions. China will never stand for this, and has lodged strong protest with the US. Each day, balloons fly across the sky in large numbers. Does the United States want to shoot them all down? What the US has done is not a sign of strength, but exactly the opposite. China urges the US to stop doing such absurd things out of domestic political needs in state-to-state relations, and demands that the US show sincerity, redress the mistake, and face up to and undo the negative impact of the incident on China-US relations.

The deep-seated reason that a purely unexpected accident has caused such a big stir in China-US relations is that the US has been misled by misperception and strategic misjudgment about China. China's policy toward the US is clear and transparent, that is, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and, based on these principles, exploring the right way for the two major countries with different social systems, histories and cultures to get along with each other. But the US takes a totally different policy toward China, regarding China as the most severe geopolitical challenge and strategic competitor. Driven by this misguided perception of China, the US is using all means available to contain and suppress China.

With regards to the US claim that it wants to compete with China, Wang Yi said that China has never been afraid of competition, but competition should be fair and rule-based. By introducing the CHIPS and Science Act, the US is using state power to suppress Chinese businesses. This is a hundred percent self-serving unilateralism, a complete violation of the WTO rules, and a serious disruption of the stability of international industrial and supply chains. Once a champion of free trade, the United States is now standing on the opposite side of free trade. What a historical irony it is. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, "A virtuous man acquires wealth by honorable means” whereas a petty man gets what they want through trickery and extortion. Today’s US has abandoned all pretenses. It simply skips the trickery and go directly to extort. Such acts will not only damage the legitimate rights and interests of other countries, but also undermine the credibility and interests of the United States itself.

Wang Yi said China urges the United States to view China's development in an objective and unbiased light, pursue a positive and pragmatic China policy, and work together with China to bring China-US relations back on the track of sound and steady development. This not only serves the interests of the two countries and peoples, but also meets the common expectation of the international community.