US halts Blinken undermined high-level visit after spy balloon row

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his travel to China due to a Chinese spy balloon floating across the US.

The first high-level US-China conference there in years was not acceptable, according to a senior State Department official.

While accepting the Chinese apology, the official criticised the balloon for flagrantly flouting international law and sovereignty.

Tensions between the US and China are deteriorating at the time of the event.

On February 5, the senior American diplomat was scheduled to travel to Beijing for talks on a variety of topics, including security, Taiwan, and Covid-19.

But when US defense officials revealed they were monitoring a high-altitude surveillance balloon above the US on Thursday, there was alarm.

high-level visit after spy balloon row: High-altitude spying marks a new low for US-China ties

Because China's apology was insufficient to allay the administration's desire to act in response to the eavesdropping allegations, the event graphically illustrated the seething tensions that the visit attempted to settle.

A senior state department source claimed that the balloon would have "narrowed the agenda" of any discussions with Chinese officials in a way that would have been "unhelpful and unconstructive."

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Although the balloon was "traveling at an altitude much above commercial air traffic," the Pentagon said that it did not "create a military or physical threat to persons on the ground." its presence sparked outrage.

Among those urging the US military to shoot it down was former US President Donald Trump.

Finally acknowledging ownership of the balloon on Friday, China claimed it was a civilian airship used for meteorological research that got lost due to severe weather.

China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement regretting the event and promising to cooperate with the US to find a solution.

However, despite acknowledging China's assertion on the balloon's usage, the US maintained its assessment that it was being used for surveillance, according to a state department official.

Another senior state department official stated that Mr. Blinken will make another trip to China "at the earliest opportunity" and that Washington intended to keep "open channels of communication" over the incident.

After making comments about the US economy on Friday morning, Mr. Biden declined to answer any questions regarding the balloon.

US officials claim that the balloon passed over Alaska and Canada before making an appearance in Montana, a state in the US that is home to several critical military missile facilities.

According to Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the balloon was traveling east "over the centre of the continental US" on Friday morning at the height of around 60,000 feet (18,200 meters).

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Roger Marshall, a senator from Kansas, reported the balloon's location over his state's northeast early on Friday afternoon.

General Ryder noted that US authorities are keeping an eye on the object and considering their "options." He said that the "maneuverable" balloon does not constitute a military or physical threat to people on the ground.

Fighter planes were informed about the object, but the US chose against shooting it down because of the risk of falling debris, according to officials.

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