: US Secy of State Blinken postpones China visit over spy balloon #IndiaNEWS #News Washington: In a sharp and sudden escalation of tensions, the US has postponed Secretary of State Antony Blinkens upcoming

US Secy of State Blinken postpones China visit over spy balloon #IndiaNEWS #News
Washington: In a sharp and sudden escalation of tensions, the US has postponed Secretary of State Antony Blinkens upcoming visit to Beijing over a Chinese surveillance balloon floating over America, calling it a clear and unacceptable violation of US sovereignty and international laws.
A senior State Department official told reporters on a hurriedly convened news conference call on Friday morning that the US has taken note of the Chinese statement of regret and stressed that the visit has only been postponed and not cancelled and the Secretary of State intends to visit China at the earliest opportunity when conditions are more conducive.
The Chinese balloon is maneuverable and its travelling eastward and is over the middle of the American mainland currently, defence department spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing on Friday.
It is expected to take a few days traversing the American airspace. The balloon has a large payload that, the US believes, is the surveillance equipment.
Blinken was scheduled to leave for China later on Friday for wide-ranging talks in a follow up to the first in-person summit between President Joe Biden and Chinas Xi Jinping in Bali on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in November. Blinken informed his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi of his decision earlier in the day, the official said.
Beijing had sought to defuse tensions expressing regret and said that the balloon which it called an airship is civilian in nature, used for meteorological and other scientific research. Due to the influence of westerly winds and its limited control capability, the airship deviated from its intended course.
Asked if the Chinese expression of regret was not enough, the official said: We note the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) statement of regret. But again, the presence of this balloon in our airspace is clearly unacceptable and a clear violation of our sovereignty. And our clear assessment was that under these current conditions, it wouldnt be constructive to visit Beijing at this time.
The official added: But Ill also reiterate that this is a postponement. And the Secretary plans to travel at the earliest appropriate opportunity.
The US had raised the spy balloon with the Chinese at multiple levels. The Secretary and Deputy Secretary conveyed this message clearly and directly to the PRCs senior Washington-based official on Wednesday evening, the official said, adding that the same message was delivered at senior levels in Beijing.
The US also engaged close allies to inform them of the presence of the surveillance asset in our airspace. We have noted the PRC statement of regret, but the presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law and it is unacceptable that this has occurred, the official said.

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