US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postpones visit to China after alleged Chinese spy balloon’s entry into American airspace
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China has blamed “some US politicians and media” for hyping up the Chinese surveillance balloon controversy after Blinken postponed visit to Beijing.
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, has urged the US to “avoid misjudgment and manage differences” after the detection of a Chinese surveillance balloon over the United States led to the postponement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing.
Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central committee and a member of it’s Political Bureau, told Blinken in a phone conversation on Friday evening that both nations need to stay focused, communicate in a timely manner, avoid misjudgment and manage differences in the face of “unexpected situations” – an indirect reference to the detection of Chinese airship/balloon in the US airspace.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement on Saturday announcing the Friday phone call between Wang and Blinken tried to downplay the Chinese surveillance balloon controversy terming it as an “occasional individual case” and said the two sides communicated on how to handle it in a calm and professional manner. “China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international law.
We do not accept any groundless speculation and hype,” Wang was quoted as saying in the statement. Meanwhile, there are reports of a second Chinese balloon over Latin America.
Another statement on Saturday attributed to a Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson blamed “some US politicians and media” for hyping up the latest controversy in the relations to attack and smear China which was something China was “firmly opposed” to.
Announcing his decision to postpone visit to Beijing hours before his departure, Blinken on Friday said that Chinese surveillance balloon’s presence in US airspace is a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law and is unacceptable. “The PRC decision to take this action on the eve of his planned visit was detrimental to the substantive discussions that both sides were prepared to have,” Blinken told Wang during the phone call. He said that he planned to visit Beijing when conditions allowed and that the US would continue to maintain lines of communication with China to address the balloon situation and other issues.
Reacting to the postponement of Blinken’s visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s statement on Saturday tried to downplay it saying that “In fact, neither side has ever announced that there would be a visit. It is a matter for the US to make its latest announcement, and we respect that.”
Admitting to the presence of Chinese balloon in the US airspace, China on Friday said that it is a civilian airship used for meteorological research, with limited self-steering capability. The airship deviated far from its planned course due to strong winds. China regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure, a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said on Friday.