The strained relationships between the U.S and China were on full display this weekend, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a testy exchange with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Their talks during the Munich Security Conference took place following the U.S. military’s shoot-down of a Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over sensitive military sites in Montana.

Blinken warned China that supplying Russia with military aid "would cause a serious problem" for their already strained diplomatic relations. This followed a situation in which China refused to openly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and increased its trade and fuel purchases from Moscow.

In anticipation for a possible state visit by China’s President Xi Jinping to Moscow later this year, Wang went on a diplomatic visit to Moscow earlier this week. During the meeting, it is expected that Moscow and Beijing will discuss the current political situation in both the US and Europe and international