Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has postponed his weekend trip to China after a high-altitude Chinese balloon was spotted over Montana.
Blinken informed his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, of the postponement on Friday morning.
According to U.S. officials, the balloon is expected to remain in the country’s airspace for several days after being detected at 60,000 feet over Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, where one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields is situated.
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told journalists on Friday that the balloon had already changed course and posed no immediate threat.
President Joe Biden, who was first briefed about the balloon’s presence on Tuesday, declined to comment when asked about it at a recent economic event.
The Pentagon, which has accused China of using the balloon for spying purposes, said it decided against shooting it down due to the potential risk of debris falling to people on the ground. The agency has also rejected China’s claims that the balloon was simply a weather research airship that had gone off course.
Blinken, who was scheduled to visit Beijing for the first time to ease U.S.-China tensions, temporarily canceled his trip amid the recent developments, which he called “unacceptable and irresponsible.”
A day prior to the Pentagon’s Thursday announcement of the balloon’s discovery, Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had both lodged protests to the top official at the Chinese Embassy.
Blinken was earlier scheduled to meet with senior Chinese officials to find some areas of common ground over issues including Taiwan, human rights, China’s claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change.
Despite the trip’s postponement, U.S. Officials have clarified that the U.S. remains open for diplomatic talks, noting that Blinken is willing to travel to China at “an appropriate time.”
The Chinese…
Read the full article here
