Blinken postpones visit to China after alleged Chinese 'spy balloon' detected flying over the US.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the espionage accusations, claiming that the weather balloon's trajectory was diverted by strong winds.
247 - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his trip to China due to the case of the alleged Chinese 'spy balloon' detected in the skies over the state of Montana, in the northern US.
"After consultations with our partners... as well as with Congress, we have concluded that conditions are not right at this time for Secretary Blinken to travel to China," a senior State Department official told reporters, according to the source. Reuters.
"We take note of the statement of regret from the PRC (People's Republic of China), but the presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty, as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred," the official said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected the espionage accusations, claiming that the balloon seen in the US is actually a civilian meteorological device.
"Affected by westerly winds and with limited self-steering capabilities, the airship deviated significantly from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the airship's unintentional entry into US airspace due to force majeure," a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday (3), according to the Global Times.
The initial accusation of espionage came from the Pentagon on Thursday (2). US military officials considered shooting down the balloon over Montana on Wednesday (1st), but President Joe Biden decided against it because of the risk of falling debris, US officials said.
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