The United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken suspended the visit China scheduled to begin this Sunday after the Department of Defense identified a Chinese spy balloon over US airspace.
According to public the newspaper The countrythe Pentagon considers that the device performed espionage functions, something that the Chinese government, after apologizing for the incident, has refuted arguing that it is a weather balloon “that was blown away by the wind and lost its way.”
#LAST MINUTE | US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off his planned trip to Beijing this weekend after his country detected a Chinese spy balloon flying over US soil. pic.twitter.com/l7e55l8h6c
– EFE News (@EFEnoticias) February 3, 2023
Blinken’s visit was going to be the first by a Secretary of State to the Chinese capital since 2018, and was valued by most experts as an opportunity to reduce the latest friction between the two powers.
The suspension of the visit, announced according to the outlet by a senior US official, would set back the incipient process of détente that had begun last November, when President Joe Biden met with Xi Jinping in Bali.
The biggest disagreements between the two countries have revolved around trade, the defense of human rights, especially in Hong Kong and among the Uyghur minorities, and the position adopted by the United States regarding Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory. .
“We have taken note of China’s apologetic statements, but the presence of this balloon in our airspace represents a clear violation of our sovereignty and International Law. It is unacceptable that this has occurred,” the State Department said.
“After consulting with other departments and with Congress, we have concluded that the conditions are not present at this time for Secretary Blinken to travel to China,” he added, according to The country.
The incident with the alleged spy balloon was reported this Thursday, although it was clarified that it was flying at a higher altitude than commercial aircraft usually use. The device was detected on the territory of Montana, in the northwest of the United States, where a military base that stores US nuclear missiles of intercontinental range is located, according to the Spanish media.
It also emerged that the US military commanders considered the demolition of the device, for which the flights were canceled at the airport in the city of Billings, in Montana, and military aircraft, including F-22 fighters, were sent to the area.
Ultimately, the idea was dropped due to the risks posed by the operation, including the possibility of balloon fragments reaching the population on the ground.
The Pentagon clarified that the device does not have technology that would allow it to collect more intelligence data than China could obtain by other means, including its low-orbiting satellites.
The publication underlines that from Beijing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained through a statement that the aircraft deviated “much from its planned course” after being “affected by westerly winds and with limited self-steering capacity.”
“The Chinese side regrets the involuntary entry of the aircraft into US airspace due to force majeure,” the cited document added.
The highest authorities of both nations have indicated that they are in contact about the incident. Blinken spoke with State Councilor Wang Yi, until very recently China’s foreign minister. His current position places him at the forefront of Chinese foreign policy, above the current minister, Qin Gang, he specified. The country.
