Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the "complicated" relationship between the United States and China should not be reduced to a "bumper sticker" or "label," adding that if China aided Russia, it could severely impact diplomatic relations.

During an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC News's Meet the Press, Blinken stressed the importance of making sure that the U.S.'s relationship with China doesn't "veer into conflict or into cold war."

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"It would be in our interest to find ways to cooperate on climate, on global health, on the macroeconomic situation around the world," said Blinken. "We have a responsibility to at least try to do that. So that's why I say you can't reduce this to a bumper sticker or to a label. It's complicated. It's consequential. And we need to manage it responsibly."

Blinken held a meeting with Wang Li, China's top diplomat, largely focused on China's potential entrance into the Russia-Ukraine war, which is reaching its one-year anniversary since the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Since then, China has offered "rhetorical" aid to Russia, while the U.S. has provided weapons and billions of dollars in support to Ukraine.

However, both countries taking sides in the Russia-Ukraine War might start to dampen diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing.

The secretary said the U.S. is very concerned that China might consider offering "lethal support" to aid Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, despite its public declarations of peace.

"Publicly, they present themselves as a country striving for peace in Ukraine," Blinken said. "But privately, as I said, we've seen already over these past months the provision of nonlethal assistance that does go directly to aiding and abetting Russia's war effort."

He added that information being released today by the State Department will indicate that China is "considering" taking on a more active role in the conflict. However, he did not offer Todd any further explanation of what he meant by "lethal support."

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"We have not seen them cross that line," Blinken said. "I made clear the importance of not crossing that line and the fact that it would have serious consequences in our own relationship, something that we do not need on top of the balloon incident that China's engaged in."

When asked about expanding U.S. military presence in Guam, the Philippines, and Australia, Blinken said part of the competition between China and the U.S. is aligning with allies to create a shared approach to the "challenges that China poses."