The comments by Wang Yi further clouded the prospects of a meeting between Wang and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the sidelines of the gathering. "To have dispatched an advanced fighter jet to shoot down a balloon with a missile, such behaviour is unbelievable, almost hysterical," said Wang. "There are so many balloons all over the world, and various countries have them, so is the United States going to shoot all of them down?," he said. The balloon spat had prompted Blinken to postpone a planned visit to Beijing. China is as a permanent member of the UN Security Council obligated to use its influence to secure world peace."

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