Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing ‘postponed’ over alleged Chinese spy balloon in US airspace

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken's weekend visit to Beijing has been put off after the discovery of an alleged Chinese spy balloon in US airspace, news agency AFP reported on Friday (February 3) quoting a US official.

The official said that the visit has been "postponed" which was expected to start on Friday after a Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the US.

A senior State Department official told reporters that officials havedetermined that the visit would not be productive at this time under the current circumstances. The official also said that diplomatic channels will remain open and Blinken is planningto visit at the earliest opportunity when "conditions allow".

The suspected spying object caused panic among US officials and concerns were also raised, with officials discussing the matter with their Chinese counterparts through diplomatic channels. A US official said, "We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue."

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However, China responded late on Friday and expressed regrets over the "unintended entry of the airship into US airspace". China said it is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes and also vowed to maintain communications with America to properly handle the unexpected situation.

The balloon has been spotted in Billings, Montana, approximately 6,000 miles from China but the Chinese claimed that the balloon "deviated far from its planned course" because of strong winds and a lack of steering ability.

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A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement:"The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure."

US fighter jets were scrambled after the balloon was spotted but the military leaders asked US President Joe Biden to not shoot itdown. Biden accepted the advice after fears were raised over the possibility that its debris could pose a safety threat.

According to Reuters, one of the officials told reporters on condition of anonymity that piloted US military aircraft were scrambled by the US to take "custody" of the balloon when it entered US airspace and also observed it.

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