After the Chinese surveillance balloon was identified in the US territory, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he is postponing his trip to China this weekend.
Addressing the news conference in Washington, Biden said, “I spoke this morning with director of China’s foreign affairs office Wang Yi to convey that in light of China’s unacceptable action, I am postponing my plan of travel this weekend to China as you know President Biden and Xi agreed during their meetings in Bali in November that I would travel to Beijing.” Blinken said that it was ‘detrimental’ to discussions that officials planned to have during his visit. He added that the US and China will continue to keep lines of communication open, including addressing the balloon row.
While responding to a query regarding the surveillance balloon, Blinken said, “It’s very important to emphasize that the presence of this surveillance balloon over the US in our skies is a clear violation of international law and clearly unacceptable. And we’ve made it clear to China. And what this has done s created the conditions that undermine the purpose of the trip including ongoing efforts to build a floor under the relationship and to address a broad range of issues that are of concern for both the countries and the world.”
“So we took the step that I announced earlier today in postponing the planned visit for this weekend meanwhile, we are going to remain engaged with the PRC as this ongoing issue is resolved,” he added.
He further said that once the US detected the balloon, the American government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.
The US has communicated with the PRC (People’s Republic of China) government directly through multiple channels about this issue. Members of the State Department consulted with partners in other agencies, and in Congress. The US also engaged with close allies and partners to inform them of the presence of the surveillance balloon in our airspace, he added.
Blinken said he told the Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office, Wang Yi, on Friday morning that the balloon flight was an “irresponsible act” and a “clear violation of US sovereignty” and international law.
He said he plans to visit Beijing “when conditions allow”. “The world expects the United States and China to manage our relationship responsibly,” he said, adding, “The United States will continue to act in a way that reflects that responsibility. We look to our PRC counterparts to do the same”.
