"The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. The U.S. government, to include NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information." ("DoD Statement on High-Altitude Surveillance Balloon," U.S. Department of Defense, February 2, 2023)

"The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure." (“Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s Remarks on the Unintended Entry of a Chinese Unmanned Airship into U.S. Airspace Due to Force Majeure,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, February 3, 2023)

"This afternoon, at the direction of President Biden, U.S. fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully brought down the high altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the water off the coast of South Carolina in U.S. airspace. The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters…Today's deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC's unacceptable violation of our sovereignty." ("Statement From Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III,” U.S. Department of Defense, February 4, 2023)

"As a responsible country, China strictly adheres to international law and respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries. As history shows, it is the U.S. that has repeatedly trampled on international law and violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries. The Chinese side has made it clear that this is entirely an unexpected, isolated incident caused by force majeure. The U.S. side’s deliberate hyping up of the matter and even use of force are unacceptable and irresponsible…The U.S. Department of Defense already stated that 'the balloon does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.' China has time and again made that clear to the U.S., and yet the U.S. side still went ahead with the use of force, which is a clear overreaction. The Chinese side is firmly opposed to that…The U.S. side needs to stop pushing the envelope and stop escalating or exacerbating the situation. The Chinese side will respond as necessary in light of the development of the situation." (Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regular Press Conference, February 6, 2023)

"We wanted the PRC to be under no illusions about the way in which we’re treating this, the way we see this, and the implications that it has had not only on the Secretary’s travel, but more broadly as well, again, it was inappropriate, it was irresponsible, it was unacceptable for this sort of thing to happen...The PRC knows precisely what this was. The PRC knows precisely why this was in our airspace. The PRC knows precisely what this was doing over the United States. And ultimately, the PRC knows precisely why we did what we did. We’ve been clear. We have been resolute. But we’ve also been practical as well, and we have taken practical steps since the time this high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected to mitigate its ability to collect intelligence against sensitive sites, to mitigate any threat it could pose to the American people." (U.S. State Department Press Statement, February 6, 2023)

"The Secretary noted the PRC’s statement of regret but conveyed that this is an irresponsible act and a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law that undermined the purpose of the trip. The Secretary explained that in light of this ongoing issue, it would not be appropriate to visit Beijing at this time. He underscored that the United States is committed to diplomatic engagement and maintaining open lines of communication, and that he would be prepared to visit Beijing as soon as conditions allow." (“Secretary Blinken’s Call with People’s Republic of China (PRC) CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi,” U.S. Department of State, February 3, 2023)

"We have no intention to violate and has never violated the territory or airspace of any sovereign country. Some politicians and media in the U.S. have hyped it up to attack and smear China. The Chinese side is firmly opposed to that...Maintaining contact and communication at all levels is an important common understanding reached by the Chinese and U.S. presidents at their meeting in Bali. One of the tasks of the diplomatic teams on both sides is to properly manage bilateral relations, particularly to manage some unexpected situations in a cool-headed and prudent manner. In fact, neither side has ever announced that there would be a visit. It is a matter for the U.S. to make its latest announcement, and we respect that." (“Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s Remarks on U.S. Announcement of the Postponement of Secretary of State Blinken’s Visit to China,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, February 4, 2023)

"I suspect there will be opportunities going forward for the Secretary to engage in that face-to-face diplomacy. After all, we didn’t cancel this meeting, we postponed it. We postponed it until such a time where it would be appropriate for the Secretary to travel to Beijing to have the type of meeting that we hope to have, a meeting that could help to establish a floor under the relationship and a meeting where we could discuss everything that’s of interest to us and many issues that are of interest to the rest of the world as well...We had what would have been a valuable opportunity to engage in that face-to-face diplomacy...Of course, the blame does not fall to us for undermining that opportunity. It falls to the PRC for engaging in what was – in what was ultimately an inappropriate and irresponsible or unacceptable act. We’ve acted responsibly. We’ve acted practically. We’ve acted prudently in this case but also in the broader context of the bilateral relationship. We think it’s important that we have these lines of communication so that we can make very clear to the PRC what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. Unfortunately, they decided to undertake this action in the days leading up to Secretary Blinken’s travel that completely undermined the point of the trip and left us with, unfortunately, no option but to postpone it." (U.S. State Department Press Statement, February 6, 2023)

"China’s position on Ukraine has been objective and just. We always stand on the side of peace and have played a constructive role in advancing the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. We are never a bystander, and we would never add fuel to the fire, still less exploit the crisis. The U.S. is the one who started the Ukraine crisis and the biggest factor fueling it, and has kept sending heavy and assault weapons to Ukraine, which has only prolonged and intensified the conflict. Rather than reflecting on its own acts, the U.S. has been sowing paranoia and pointing fingers at China...If the U.S. truly wants an early end to the crisis and cares for the lives of the Ukrainian people, then it needs to stop sending weapons and profiteering from the fighting. The U.S. needs to act responsibly by helping the situation deescalate as soon as possible, and create the necessary environment and conditions for peace talks between the parties concerned." (Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regular Press Conference, January 30, 2023)

"(W)e continue to communicate to China the implications of providing material support to Russia’s war against Ukraine. We’ve also continued to be clear in public and in private with any country that, as it relates to the conflict of Ukraine, Russia is very clearly, publicly violating Ukrainian territorial integrity and Ukrainian sovereignty, and we’ll continue to raise that wherever we can." (U.S. State Department Press Statement, February 1, 2023)

"Our message to the PRC has been very simple: we’re watching very closely; there are and would be costs and consequences if we were to see a systematic effort to help Russia bypass the sanctions that dozens of countries around the world have enacted against the Kremlin, President Putin, others, for this brazen aggression against Ukraine; and there would be consequences for the provision of lethal material that Russia could then use against civilians in Ukraine in the same way that it sought lethal material from Iran, from DPRK to use against the people of Ukraine." (U.S. State Department Press Statement, February 6, 2023)