The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, suspended this Friday his planned trip to Beijing this weekend, after his country detected a “chinese spy balloon“flying over US territory.
High-ranking State Department officials said in a call with reporters that the balloon’s presence is about “a clear violation” of sovereignty and international law, so it is “unacceptable” and have decided to postpone Blinken’s visit.
“The secretary informed the director of the Foreign Affairs Office (of China), Wang Yi, this morning that the trip had to be postponed.“, indicated the officials, who detailed that the suspension of the trip has been decided after consulting with different agencies, the US Government and Congress.
Nonetheless, Blinken conveyed to Wang that he hopes he can travel to China.”as soon as possible when conditions permit“.
Meanwhile, the US will maintain “open lines of communication” with Beijing to discuss his concerns about “this incident” and to handle “responsible way” competition between the two countries, officials said.
Blinken was scheduled to leave tonight for Beijing. in the first visit by a secretary of state to China since 2018.
However, on Thursday the Pentagon reported that it had detected a Chinese spy balloon flying at a high altitude over US territory and that it had decided not to destroy it, although it was following it closely, given the danger that its debris might fall on the ground. surface.
China admitted this Friday that the globe belongs to it, although it assured that “it is a civil airship used for research purposes, mainly meteorological”and regretted “unintentional entry” of the aircraft in US airspace.
Officials from the US Department affirmed that their country recognizes and takes note of the “China’s repentance statement”despite the fact that the presence of the balloon in its airspace is “unacceptable” and a “clear violation” of its sovereignty.
“Our clear assessment is that under these circumstances it would not be constructive to visit Beijing now, but we reiterate that it is a postponement.”they remarked.
Despite this crisis, US officials stressed that their government believes in diplomacy to “responsibly manage the most complex bilateral relationshipWhat does the USA have?
“We are committed to keeping the lines open with China at all times, including during this incident.”pointed out.
PENTAGON ASSURES THAT THE GLOBE IS STILL OVER THE USA AND GOES TO THE EAST
The Pentagon affirmed this Friday that the “spy balloon” The Chinese aircraft continues to fly over the United States and is moving in an easterly direction, after reporting on Thursday that it had been sighted in Montana, in the northwest of the country.
The Pentagon spokesman, General Pat Ryder, specified in a press conference that the balloon is 60,000 feet from the surface (18,288 meters) above the center of the continental United States.
“The balloon has changed its trajectory”Ryder said, not wanting to go into detail about its exact location, noting that it “likely” will fly over the country for a “few days.”
He explained that the airship is “maneuverable” and that under its surveillance device it has a large cargo space, the content of which he did not specify.
Despite the fact that they have concluded that for the moment it does not pose a threat, the US spokesman stressed that the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) follow their movements “closely”.
“Military commanders have assessed that there is no physical or military threat to people on the surface.”remarked the general, although they will continue to monitor their movements and review “the options” available.
The US has decided not to destroy the device because it does not currently pose a danger and for fear that the fall of its debris could be dangerous to the surface.
Ryder insisted that it is a “surveillance” device and not, as China has said, a “civilian used for research purposes, mainly meteorological”. He claimed that as soon as it was detected they acted “immediately” to prevent it from collecting “sensitive” information.