US Secretary of State Blinken scraps his Beijing visit after China's spy balloon detected in US

US Secretary of State Blinken was scheduled to visit Beijing on Sunday.

Washington, Feb 04: In light of China's "unacceptable" action, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called off his two-day visit to Beijing this weekend.

"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 was quoted as saying at a press conference on Friday.

Blinken noted the PRC's statement of regret but conveyed that this is an irresponsible act and a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law that undermined the purpose of the trip. "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," he stated.

The Secretary explained that in light of this ongoing issue, it would not be appropriate to visit Beijing at this time. He underscored that the United States is committed to diplomatic engagement and maintaining open lines of communication, and that he would be prepared to visit Beijing as soon as conditions allow.

"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.

The US Secretary of State pointed out that his government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information after detecting the balloon.

"The balloon's appearance Montana adds to national security concerns among American lawmakers over China's influence in the U.S., ranging from the prevalence of the hugely popular smartphone app TikTok to purchases of American farmland. "China's brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed," Republican Party House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had tweeted.

This came at a time when the tensions between Washington and Beijing are high on issues ranging from Taiwan to South China sea, from human rights in western Xinjiang region to clampdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong. China's support to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine has only added to growing tensions between the two global superpowers although the two countries have cooperation on trade and counter-terrorism.