The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, suspended this Friday the trip he had planned to Beijing this weekend, after his country detected a Chinese spy balloon flying over US soil.
(Also: Chinese spy balloon in the United States: What is it and why does it cause alert in the country?)
High-ranking State Department officials said in a call with reporters that the presence of the spy balloon it is “a clear violation” of sovereignty and international law, so it is “unacceptable” and they have decided to postpone Blinken’s visit.
At the moment, the administration has not given official confirmation of the suspension of the US Secretary of State’s visit to the Asian giant, but it is expected that he will make the announcement soon.
(Also: China asks not to ‘speculate’ after Pentagon spy balloon accusation)
“The secretary reported this morning to the director of the (China) Foreign Affairs Office, Wang Yi, that the trip had to be postponed”indicated the officials, who detailed that the suspension of the trip has been decided after consulting with different agencies of the US Government. and Congress.
However, Blinken conveyed to Wang that hopes to be able to travel to China “as soon as possible when conditions permit.”
In the meantime, the United States will keep “communication lines open” with Beijing to discuss its concerns about “this incident” and to handle competition between the two countries “responsibly,” the officials said.
Blinken was scheduled to leave tonight for Beijing on the first visit by a secretary of state to China since 2018.
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For his part, China “regretted” the “accidental” entry of a “civilian aircraft” drone in US airspace after the Pentagon said it was a spy balloon.
“This is a civil aircraft used for scientific, mainly meteorological, purposes” and “originating from China,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement.
“The Chinese side regrets the accidental entry of the aircraft into the US airspace due to force majeure,” he added.
The Pentagon reported on Thursday the presence of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the country. According to a senior defense official, the purpose of the apparatus was “surveillance.”
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
With information from AFP and EFE
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