The United States administration has stated that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to China because the purported Chinese spy balloon’s presence in American airspace is a “unacceptable” breach of the country’s sovereignty.
Due to the “irresponsible” balloon trip, a senior Department of State official stated on Friday that the “conditions are not right” for the visit that was scheduled to begin on Sunday.
In a statement regretting the balloon’s entry into US airspace, China described it as a weather research blimp that “deviated considerably from its planned trajectory” due to its “poor self-steering capability.” However, the US government claimed that the object was a “high-altitude surveillance balloon”.
Under the condition of anonymity, the Department of State official told reporters, “We have noted the PRC [People’s Republic of China] statement of regret, 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 emphasized that channels of communication between Washington and Beijing are still open as they work to “responsibly manage” the growing rivalry between the two nations.
It wouldn’t be beneficial to visit Beijing at this time, according to our clear assessment. However, the official added, “This is a postponement and the secretary [Blinken] plans to travel at the earliest appropriate opportunity when conditions allow.”
The balloon issue “undermined the purpose of the trip,” Blinken told his Chinese colleague Wang Yi, the State Department reported later on Thursday.
The State Department issued a statement saying, “The secretary emphasized that given this ongoing concern, it would not be appropriate to visit Beijing at this time.”
Relations between Beijing and Washington have deteriorated recently due to a number of causes of contention, such as trade disputes, Taiwan’s legal status, territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and the US’s ongoing campaign against China’s expanding influence in the Indo-Pacific.
China has also received warnings from the US not to support Russia in Ukraine.
Blinken’s trip, which has now been postponed, was intended to ease some of those tensions. It would have been the first trip to China by a US secretary of state since Mike Pompeo, who served as the country’s top diplomat at the time, visited Beijing in 2018 and met with his colleague but not President Xi Jinping.
Late in 2022, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi met outside the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Officials from China and the US have emphasized that they do not seek conflict and have issued warnings against turning the rivalry into a new Cold War.
Blinken’s travel to China would have been overshadowed by the balloon scandal, according to Kimberly Halkett, who was reporting from the White House.
“These two countries already have a lot of significant concerns that need to be discussed… This would be encompassing of them all, she replied.
On Thursday, the balloon was initially spotted over Montana in the north of the United States. However, the Pentagon did not specify which state it was over when it stated on Friday that it was “above the center of the continental United States.”
According to our current assessment, the balloon does not currently pose a military or physical threat to persons on the ground, but we’ll keep an eye on it and consider our options, Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, told reporters.
The balloon is flying far above commercial air traffic, he continued.
Ryder also rejected the Chinese denial that the balloon was a research balloon used for commercial purposes. We are aware that it is a surveillance balloon, as he stated.
The balloon was over the northeastern region of the state, Kansas senator Roger Marshall stated on Friday.
“I deplore any efforts made by the Chinese to spy on Americans. Whether it’s our airspace or the southern border, President Biden must uphold US sovereignty, Marshall opined on Twitter.
In response to the incident, a number of Republican members of the US Congress called for an explanation and action from the Biden administration.
Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican, demanded a congressional hearing on the balloon and termed it a “serious domestic security threat.”
Blinken’s decision to cancel his trip was applauded by Congressman Scott Fitzgerald, who added that “the administration must do much more to inform China that spying against the United States will not be accepted.”
Others in the legislature urged the Pentagon to deflate the balloon.
Why is Biden refusing to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon that is now circling the country? Our existence is threatened by the Chinese Communist Party, said Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn on Twitter.
According to US defense authorities, if the plane is shot down, debris from it could endanger people on the ground.
Senator for Montana and Democrat Jon Tester described the balloon as a “totally inappropriate” provocation.
In a statement, Tester said, “I will hold everyone accountable until I have true answers on how this happened and what precautions the Administration took to safeguard our country. We are still waiting for meaningful answers.
In response to the event, Canada, which shares a border with Montana and has tense relations with China, announced on Thursday that it had summoned the ambassador.
The Canadian foreign ministry stated, “We will keep vehemently expressing our viewpoint to Chinese officials through different channels.
Melanie Joly, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, claimed that she spoke with Blinken on Friday about the safety of the nation’s airspace.
In a tweet, Joly stated that “we are working with our American colleagues and continuing to take all necessary precautions to preserve Canada’s sensitive information.”
