美国国务院高级官员谈中华人民共和国
特别记者会
发言人办公室
通过电话会议
2023年2月3日
国务院高级官员一：各位早上好。感谢在通知有些仓促的情况下参加这次电话会议。我们想借此机会与各位谈论和解释国务卿推迟原计划对中华人民共和国的访问一事。
本次电话会议是不具名采访。你可以说你听到的信息来自国务院高级官员。本次电话会议的内容还有发布时限。直到本次通话结束，内容才可发布。这里只是为了给各位提供背景信息，请不要用于报道——今天加入我们的有[国务院高级官员二]。如各位所知，[国务院高级官员二]是[职务删减]。[国务院高级官员二]将首先讲几句开场白，然后我们会回答几个你们的问题。
好到，就说到这里，交给[国务院高级官员二]。
国务院高级官员二：谢谢[国务院高级官员一]。也谢谢各位的参加。在拜登总统和习主席去年11月于巴厘岛举行会晤之后，国务院和其他部门与中华人民共和国对口方进行了密集的接触，为布林肯国务卿本月的一次重要且有实质意义的北京之行作准备。国务卿本已准备好今晚前往北京，展开一个本来会涵盖这一关系方方面面的范围甚广的议程。
昨天，国防部发布了一份声明。声明说国防部发现了并且正在追踪一个处于美国大陆上空的高空侦察气球。美国政府还有北美防空司令部继续密切追踪和监视这个气球。我们一发现这个气球，美国政府便即刻采取行动，防止对敏感信息的收集。
我们通过多个渠道直接与中华人民共和国政府沟通了这一问题。国务卿和常务副国务卿于周三晚向中华人民共和国驻华盛顿的高级官员清楚直接地传达了这一讯息。同样的讯息也在北京的高层进行了传达。国务院高级官员还接触了紧密盟友，告知他们侦察气设备存在于我们的领空一事。
我们注意到中华人民共和国表示遗憾的声明。但是这一气球存在于我们的领空明显侵犯我们的主权，也明显违反国际法，而且发生这样的事情是让人无法接受的。在征询我们的跨部门伙伴以及国会的意见之后，我们得出的结论是当前的条件不适合布林肯国务卿访问中国。
我们相信用外交来负责任地管理我们最复杂的双边关系。我们致力于与中华人民共和国保持畅通的渠道，在所有时候都是如此，包括在这起事件期间。今天上午早些时候，国务卿向中央外事工作委员会办公室主任王毅表示本次访问需要推迟。但是国务卿表示他将计划在条件允许时尽早前往中华人民共和国。
同时，我们将继续与中华人民共和国保持畅通的沟通渠道 ，来着手解决我们对于正在发生的这起事件的关切，并负责任地管理我们国家之间的竞争。
我们的开场声明就到这里。非常感谢。
[…]
国务院高级官员一：我们首先请马特·李（Matt Lee）提问。
问：谢谢，[国务院高级官员一]和[国务院高级官员二]。我就是在想，有没有——我知道从昨天下午开始，或许是更早之前就开始，对于是否继续进行这次访问就有很多来来回回的沟通，有很多争论。但是在你刚才提到的那份声明发布之后，那份表示遗憾的声明，我想知道，它是否——为什么它没有起到任何影响呢？
国务院高级官员二：马特，我要重申我刚才说过的。我们确实看到——我们注意到中华人民共和国表示遗憾的声明，但是再说一次，这个气球存在于我们的领空明显是让人无法接受的，并且明显侵犯我们的主权。我们明确的评估是，在当前的条件下，于此时访问北京是不具有建设性的。但是我也要重申，这是一次推迟。国务卿计划在条件允许时，在最早的合适时机出访。
国务院高级官员一：接下来请胡梅拉·帕慕克（Humeyra Pamuk）提问。
问：您好。谢谢进行这次电话会议。我就直问了：这将已经很紧张的美中关系置于何处呢？这是一次危机，还是你可以说这起事件没有改变任何事？你相信中国说的这是一个用于科学目的的民用飞艇的解释吗？对于这个侦察气球都收集到了什么，美国的评估是什么？谢谢。
国务院高级官员二：嗯。非常感谢，胡梅拉。我们长时间以来一直说我们与中华人民共和国的关系也许是我们最重要和最复杂的关系。在今天显然也是如此。我们——正如我们一直所做的——果断地、主动地并且负责任地着手解决当前的这一情况。而且我们今后将继续这样做。
正如我还强调过的，外交将仍旧是管理这一最复杂的关系的核心，而且这就是为什么，自上到下从国务卿起，我们这么多人都与我们的中国对口官员保持定期和不间断的联系，为了清楚地传达我们的讯息和我们的关切；也为了——再说一次——以负责任的方式管理这一问题。
我要重申我刚才所说的。我们确实看到中国过于这起事件表示遗憾的声明。我也要说我们相信我们对这一情况以及我们在五角大楼的同事昨晚所做出的声明的评估。
国务院高级官员一：请肖恩・坦登（Shaun Tandon）提问。  
问：谢谢，[国务院高级官员二]。谢谢召开这次电话会议。我能不能接着我同行的问题再问一下？就你们已经在寻求的合作，以及列入北京之行议题的事项而言――特别是诸如朝鲜和缅甸这样的地区事务，甚至是关于台湾――会不会担心任何关于，就像你们常说的，设立护栏的对话会因为众议院而受挫？  
再就是，如果我还可以再就你们的评估问一下，我是说，你相信那是意外吗，相信中方的解释说是无意中进入美国领空的吗？谢谢。 
国务院高级官员二：非常感谢你的问题，肖恩。我再概述一下我们对中华人民共和国的方针。我们说我们――我们的方针的三个支柱是投资、协同和竞争，并且同时，我们还在我们的利益要求合作的领域探索合作。这个方针没有变，而这一关系的复杂性也没有变。我认为在目前情况下，还是刚才说的，经评估，我们认为现在前往北京并无益处或建设性。同时我认为，坦率讲，在目前环境下，我认为我们本来能够着手的议题会被严重压缩。  
但是就像我强调的，我们推迟此行，是因为我刚才列出的、希望是明确的原因。我们期待有机会在条件允许时前往北京。我还要强调，我认为就像事实表明的，国务卿已经于今早与王毅进行了联系。我相信我们的沟通渠道会一如既往地重要。并且这些渠道会保持开放。  
我还要重申我刚才说的。我们注意到中方表示遗憾的声明。我们仍然相信我们对事态做出的评估。  
国务院高级官员一： 请埃德华・王（Edward Wong）提问。  
问：你好。请问能不能稍微谈谈之前发生过的美国发现这类气球的事件。这在部分上是相关的――和你是否认为――当国务卿与中方沟通时，他们是否承认他们发送了这次这个气球？以前有没有发生过这类事件？如果以前发生过，而官方又在弱化这种气球的实际严重性，那么取消这次访问看起来就很怪了。 
国务院高级官员二：谢谢埃德。埃德，我想请你看一下五角大楼昨晚的声明。我觉得那份声明回答了你大部分的问题。再说一次，我再回顾一下，我们已经做出判断，认为这次，目前状况下，访问北京不会有成效。但我也说了，外交渠道保持开放。国务卿计划在条件允许时尽早成行。  
国务院高级官员一：请玛格丽特・布伦南（Margaret Brennan）提问。
问：如果像五角大楼说的，之前有过这种气球，那这次有什么不同？另外，访问的推迟就是全部的外交后果吗？ 
国务院高级官员二：好的，非常感谢，玛格丽特。还是刚才说的，我认为有关对事态的评估，我再请你去看一下五角大楼的声明。我认为由我来预测未来会发生什么、不会发生什么，没什么帮助。但是我能说我确信的是，从事件发生之时起，我们就在与中方对口官员保持定期和频繁的联系，并且我预计还会继续如此。  
再说一遍，国务卿和常务副国务卿与在华盛顿这里的使馆高级官员进行了会晤――我相信是两天前的晚上。在华盛顿和北京，我自己和其他同事也已都经与中方高级对口官员保持密切联系。我们相信会继续如此。并且，我们开展这些外交活动，以此来负责任地管理这一关系，也以此来以负责任的方式管理诸如目前这件事这样的挑战。我们会继续这样做。  
国务院高级官员一：还有，玛格丽特，我再加一点。你问这次有何不同。就像[国务院高级官员二]说的，我们想请你去向国防部询问相关细节。但是我们可以指出这次有一点是不同的。这是第一次在国务卿访问中华人民共和国前夕发生这样的事。就像[国务院高级官员二]提示的，我们心里是有一个广泛的、实质性的议题的。我们曾希望能在我们双边关系的全部三项要素上都开展有建设性的交往。  
当然，这一事件是会压缩我们本来的议题，会是不利而无益的，但正如[国务院高级官员二]多次说过，我们致力于保持开放的沟通渠道，而国务卿将期待在条件再次允许时尽早前往中华人民共和国。  
下面请凯莉・阿特伍德（Kylie Atwood）提问。  
问：我就想问，各位能不能讲讲，要满足什么条件才能重新安排访问。你们说布林肯会在条件允许时尽早出访。那么条件都是什么呢？另外你们有没有具体要求中方就这次间谍气球事件做些什么？谢谢。  
国务院高级官员二：谢谢，凯莉。可以说我们会进行评估，然后我们会决定，将来什么时候的条件适合前往北京。当然，与此同时我们会继续与我们的中方对口官员进行沟通。我认为我最好还是不要讲到我们外交沟通的全部细节。但我要强调，我们已经极为明确地告诉我们的中方官员，这是一次不可接受且不负责任的事件。同时我们也明确表达了我们的关切和期望。我相信沟通会继续，我也相信鉴于我们的外交渠道一直是开放的，我们将继续直截了当地处理这件事。  
国务院高级官员一：再回答最后几个问题。薇薇安・萨拉玛（Vivian Salama）。
问：非常感谢进行这次电话会议。我在讲的是之前问过的问题，但是关于外交照会和与这里的中国外交官的对话，我希望再稍加追问。曾有领事馆因为程度可能更轻或是同等程度的侵犯——间谍活动指控而被关闭。你称其为对美国主权的侵犯，这是一个非常严厉的指控。
所以，我想知道接下来会发生什么，你会允许中国政府继续在这里保持像此事之前一样的外交运营吗，还是说将会有一些后果，也许缩减中国驻这里的外交官的人数或类似的事？我们会看到后续公布一些关于外交关系以及他们在这里的大使馆和领事馆的消息吗？谢谢。
国务院高级官员二：谢谢你的提问。我不会把此次事件中对美国主权的侵犯称为一项指控。我会称其为一种对事实的陈述。有一个中国高空侦察气球目前在美国上空。这是对美国主权明显的、让人不可接受的侵犯。而且我们已经把这一点说得非常清楚明白了，我们也将在我们与中国对口官员的定期沟通中继续这样做。
国务院高级官员一：最后一个问题请德米特里·塞瓦斯托普洛（Demetri Sevastopulo）提问。
问：谢谢。早上好，[国务院高级官员二]。中国对（听不清）表示遗憾是真的不寻常的，所以一个问题：你对此怎么解读呢？
国务院高级官员二：德米特里，谢谢。再说一次，正如我说过的，我们看到中国发布了这份表示遗憾的声明。同时，正如我所表示的，我们相信我们的评估，而且我们对这起明显侵犯我们的主权和领空一事的关切依然存在。我也有信心，在我们努力以最负责任并且最迅速的方式处理此事的时候，我们将继续与我们的中国对口官员保持不间断的联系。
国务院高级官员一：好的。非常感谢，[国务院高级官员二]。非常感谢所有参加电话会议的人。对于没有听到开头或是需要提醒的人，本次电话会议是国务院高级官员的不具名采访，通话内容现在可以发布了。非常感谢。

Senior State Department Officials On the People’s Republic of China
SPECIAL BRIEFING
OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON 
VIA TELECONFERENCE 
FEBRUARY 3, 2023 
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  Good morning, everyone.  And thanks for joining this call at somewhat short notice.  We want to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss and to explain for you the postponement of the Secretary’s planned travel to the People’s Republic of China.
This call will be on background.  You can attribute what you hear to senior State Department officials.  This call will also be embargoed.  It will be embargoed until the conclusion of the call.  Just for your background and not for reporting purposes, we’re joined today by [Senior State Department Official Two].  [Senior State Department Official Two], as you know, is [title redacted].  [Senior State Department Official Two] will have some opening remarks at the top and then we’ll take a few of your questions.
So, with that, [Senior State Department Official Two].
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO:  Thank you, [Senior State Department Official One].  And thank you, everyone, for joining us.  Following the meeting between President Biden and President Xi in Bali last November, the State Department and other agencies engaged intensively with PRC counterparts to prepare for an important and substantive trip by Secretary Blinken to Beijing, this month.  The Secretary was prepared to depart for Beijing tonight, to take on a wide-ranging agenda that would have encompassed all elements of the relationship.
Yesterday, the Department of Defense released a statement saying that it has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States.  The U.S. Government, to include NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely.  Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. Government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.
We’ve directly communicated with the PRC Government through multiple levels about this issue.  The Secretary and Deputy Secretary conveyed this message clearly and directly to the PRC’s senior Washington-based official on Wednesday evening.  That same message was delivered at senior levels in Beijing.  Senior department officials also engaged close allies to inform them of the presence of the surveillance asset in our airspace.
We have noted the PRC statement of regret.  But the presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty, as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred.  After consultations with our interagency partners, as well as with Congress, we have concluded that the conditions are not right at this moment for Secretary Blinken to travel to China.
We believe in diplomacy to responsibly manage the most complex bilateral relationship we have.  We are committed to maintaining open lines with the PRC, at all times, including during this incident.  The Secretary conveyed to the Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office, Wang Yi, earlier this morning that the trip would need to be postponed.  But the Secretary indicated that he would plan to travel to the PRC at the earliest opportunity when conditions allow.
In the meantime, we will maintain open lines of communication with the PRC to address our concerns about this ongoing incident and to responsibly manage the competition between our countries.
That’s the end of our opening statement.  Thank you very much.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  Great.  Operator, if you wouldn’t mind repeating the instructions to ask a question.
OPERATOR:  Certainly.  To ask a question, you may press the 1 followed by 0.  Repeating the command will remove you from queue, 1 and then 0.  Thank you.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  We’ll start with the line of Matt Lee.
QUESTION:  Thanks, [Senior State Department Official One] and [Senior State Department Official Two].  I’m just wondering, was there – I know there was a lot of back-and-forth, a lot of debate, about whether to go ahead with this trip, starting yesterday afternoon or maybe even before.  But after the statement that you just mentioned, the statement of contrition, I’m wondering if it – why did that not have any impact?
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO:  Look, Matt, I’ll reiterate what I said a moment ago.  We do acknowledge – we note the PRC’s statement of regret, but again, the presence of this balloon in our airspace is clearly unacceptable and a clear violation of our sovereignty.  And our clear assessment was that under these current conditions it wouldn’t be constructive to visit Beijing at this time.  But I’ll also reiterate that this is a postponement, and the Secretary plans to travel at the earliest appropriate opportunity when conditions allow.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  Let’s go to the line of Humeyra Pamuk.
QUESTION:  Hello.  Thank you for doing this.  Can I just ask:  Where does this leave the U.S.‑China relationship which has already been pretty strained?  Is this a crisis or can you say this incident didn’t change anything?  And do you believe in the Chinese explanation that this was a civilian airship for scientific purposes?  And what is U.S. assessment on what this surveillance balloon was able to get?  Thank you.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO:  Yeah.  Thank you very much, Humeyra.  Look, we have long stated that our relationship with the People’s Republic of China is perhaps our most consequential and complex relationship.  That obviously remains true today.  We have, as we always do, addressed this current situation decisively, proactively, and responsibility.  And we’ll continue to do that going forward.
And as I also underscored, diplomacy will remain central to the management of this most complex relationship, and that’s why, from the Secretary on down, so many of us have been in regular and constant contact with our Chinese counterparts to convey clearly our messages and our concerns; and, again, to manage this issue in a responsible way.
I’ll reiterate what I said a moment ago.  We do acknowledge China’s statement of regret regarding this incident.  I’ll also state that we remain confident in our assessment of the situation and of the statement that was made by our Pentagon colleagues last night.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  Go to the line of Shaun Tandon.
QUESTION:  Thanks, [Senior State Department Official Two].  Thanks for doing this call.  Could I actually pursue some questions from my colleagues?  In terms of cooperation you’ve been seeking and the things that are on the agenda in Beijing – particularly regional issues like North Korea or Myanmar, even about the Taiwan issue – is there a concern that any dialogue in that, that the – setting the guardrails, as you often put it, could be set back by the House?
And again, if I could just take one more stab on the assessment, I mean do you believe that it was accidental, the Chinese explanation that it was unintentional, to go into U.S. airspace?  Thank you.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO:  Thanks very much for your question, Shaun.  Look, I’ll again outline our approach to the People’s Republic of China.  We talk about our – the three pillars of our approach being invest, align, and compete, and at the same time, we will explore cooperation where our interests dictate.  That approach has not changed, but the complexity of this relationship has also not changed.  I think under the current circumstances, again, we’ve assessed would not be conducive or constructive to travel to the Beijing right now.  And I think, candidly speaking, in this current environment, I think it would have significantly narrowed the agenda that we would have been able to address.
But as I underscored, we have postponed this trip for hopefully clear reasons that I’ve outlined here.  We look forward to the opportunity to travel to Beijing when conditions allow.  And I will underscore, I think as is demonstrated by the fact that the Secretary has been in touch with Wang Yi this morning, I’m confident that our channels of communication will remain as important as ever.  And those channels do remain open.
I’ll also reiterate what I said a moment ago.  We note China’s statement of regret.  We remain confident in our assessment of the situation.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  We’ll go to the line of Edward Wong.
QUESTION:  Hi.  I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about prior instances in which these balloons were spotted in the U.S.  Partly that’s tied to whether you think the – when the Secretary communicated the Chinese side, did they acknowledge that they had sent this particular balloon and any prior instances of it?  It just seems strange that you would cancel the trip if this had happened before and when officials are downplaying the actual severity of this type of balloon.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO:  Thank you, Ed.  Ed, I would refer you to the statement made by the Pentagon last night, which I think addresses most of your question.  And again, I’ll just review, we’ve determined that under the current circumstances, it would not be productive to visit Beijing at this time.  But as I’ve indicated, diplomatic channels remain open.  The Secretary plans to visit at the earliest opportunity when conditions allow.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  Margaret Brennan, please.
QUESTION:  Is – kind of what’s different this time, if there have been past balloons as the Pentagon said?  And is postponement the extent of the diplomatic fallout?
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO:  Yeah, thank you very much, Margaret.  Look, again, I think on the assessment of the situation, I’ll, again, refer you to the Pentagon’s statement.  I think it would not be productive for me to predict what may or may not happen in the future, but what I can state with confidence is that from the moment this incident occurred we have been in regular and frequent contact with our Chinese counterparts.  And I do anticipate that will continue.
Again, the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary met with the senior embassy official here in Washington – I believe it was two evenings ago.  Myself and other colleagues have been in frequent contact with senior Chinese counterparts also in Washington and Beijing.  We’re confident that that will continue and that – again, we engage in those diplomatic activities so that we can manage this relationship responsibly and so that we can manage challenges such as this current one in a responsible fashion.  We’ll continue to do so.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  And Margaret, I’ll add one point.  You asked what’s different this time.  As [Senior State Department Official Two] said, we’d refer you to the Department of Defense to speak to the details of that, but we can point out one element that’s different this time.  This is the first time it’s happened on the eve of a planned secretary of state visit to the PRC.  As [Senior State Department Official Two] alluded to, we had a broad, substantive agenda in mind.  We had a hope for constructive engagement on all three – on all elements of our bilateral relationship.
Of course, this issue would have narrowed that agenda in a way that would have been unhelpful and unconstructive.  But as [Senior State Department Official Two] said multiple times, we’re committed to maintaining open lines of communication, and the Secretary will look forward to travel to the PRC at the earliest opportunity when conditions once again allow.
We’ll go to the line of Kylie Atwood.
QUESTION:  I’m just wondering if you guys could describe what conditions need to be met for this trip to be rescheduled.  You say that Blinken would travel at the earliest opportunity when conditions allow.  So, what are those conditions?  And are there specific things that you’re asking the Chinese to do with this spy balloon?  Thank you.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO:  Thank you, Kylie.  Look, I think it’s safe to say that we will assess, and we will determine, when the conditions are right for future travel to Beijing.  And, of course, we’ll do that as we continue to communicate with our Chinese counterparts as well.  I think it might be best if I don’t get into all of the details of our diplomatic communications, but I will underscore we have been crystal clear with our Chinese counterparts that this was an unacceptable and irresponsible incident.  And we have been clear about, again, our concerns and our expectations.  I’m confident that that will continue, and I’m confident that given that our diplomatic channels remain open, we’ll continue to address this manner forthrightly – this matter forthrightly.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  Take a couple final questions.  Vivian Salama.
QUESTION:  Hi, thank you so much for doing this call.  So, I am – I’m touching upon previously asked questions, but I was hoping to press a little more on the demarche and the conversations with Chinese diplomats here.  There have been consulates closed for probably less or equal violations of – of accusations of spying.  You described it as a violation of U.S. sovereignty, which is a very stark accusation.
And so, I’m wondering how – what comes next as far as do – are you going to allow the Chinese Government to continue to operate diplomatically here in country as was prior to this, or is there going to be some consequences as far as – perhaps scaling down on the Chinese diplomats who are in country or anything like that?  Can we expect to see some further announcements, with regard to the diplomatic relations and their embassies here and their consulates?  Thanks.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO:  Thank you for your question.  I would not describe the violation of U.S. sovereignty in this incident as an accusation.  I would describe it as a statement of fact.  There is a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon currently over the United States.  It is a clear and unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty, and we have made that crystal clear, and we’ll continue to do so in our regular communications with our Chinese counterparts.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  Take a final question from Demetri Sevastopulo.
QUESTION:  Thanks.  Morning, [Senior State Department Official Two].  It’s really unusual for China to express regret for (inaudible), so one question:  How do you interpret that?
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO:  Demetri, thank you.  Again, as I stated, we note, and we acknowledge that China has issued this statement of regret.  At the same time, as I’ve indicated, we remain confident in our assessment, and our concerns about this clear violation of our sovereignty and airspace remain.  I’m also confident we’ll continue to maintain constant contact with our Chinese counterparts as we work to manage this in the most responsible and expeditious fashion possible.
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE:  Great.  Many thanks, [Senior State Department Official Two].  Many thanks to all who tuned in.  For those who didn’t hear at the top or for those who need a reminder, this call was on background to senior State Department officials, and the embargo is now lifted.  Thanks very much.