Blinken scraps rare China trip over alleged spy balloon

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (not in picture) in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, in this July 8, 2022, file photo. AFP-Yonhap

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken scrapped a rare Beijing trip aimed at easing escalating tensions between the two global powers, Friday, after the Pentagon said China had flown a spy balloon over the United States.

Moments before the decision, China issued a rare statement of regret and blamed winds for diverting what it called a civilian airship.

But President Joe Biden's administration described it as a maneuverable "surveillance balloon" that was floating over the central United States, Friday.

With the rival Republican Party already on the offensive, Blinken postponed his two-day visit that would have started Sunday.

In a telephone call with senior Chinese official Wang Yi, Blinken said he "made clear that the presence of this surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace is a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law, that it's an irresponsible act."

Blinken said, however, that he told Wang that "the United States is committed to diplomatic engagement with China and that I plan to visit Beijing when conditions allow."

"The first step is getting the surveillance asset out of our airspace. That's what we're focused on," he told reporters.

Blinken would have been the first top U.S. diplomat to visit China since October 2018, signaling a thaw following intense friction under former President Donald Trump.

Last month, Blinken said he would use the trip to help establish "guardrails" to prevent the relationship from escalating into all-out conflict.

Republican lawmakers quickly pounced on the balloon incident, casting Biden ― who has largely preserved and at times expanded Trump's hawkish policies on China ― as weak.

"President Biden should stop coddling and appeasing the Chinese communists. Bring the balloon down now and exploit its tech package, which could be an intelligence bonanza," tweeted Senator Tom Cotton, a prominent hardliner who had urged Blinken to call off his trip.

"Shoot down the balloon!" added Donald Trump on his Truth Social media platform.

An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. AP-Yonhap

China voices regret

The Pentagon said Friday the balloon was heading eastwards over the central United States, adding it was not being shot down for safety reasons.

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After initial hesitation, Beijing admitted ownership of the "airship" and said it veered off course due to wind.

"The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes," said the statement attributed to a foreign ministry spokesperson.

"The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure," it said, using the legal term for an act outside of human control.

"The Chinese side will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation."

A U.S. defense official said earlier that Biden had asked for military options but that the Pentagon believed shooting the object down would put people on the ground at risk from debris.

The balloon has "limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective," the defense official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The United States is also widely believed to spy on China, although generally with more advanced technology than balloons.

The northwestern United States is home to sensitive airbases and nuclear weapons in underground silos.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said Friday that the balloon was traveling at 60,000 feet (18,000 meters) ― far above the altitude used by commercial aircraft.

"We know that it's a surveillance balloon," he said. "We're monitoring and reviewing options."

A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., Feb. 1. AP-Yonhap

Bracing for worst

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was visiting the Philippines, held discussions with top Pentagon officials after the balloon was detected.

Austin agreed to expand the U.S. military presence In the Philippines, weeks after a separate troop deal with another regional ally, Japan.

The U.S. military moves show that the United States is preparing for potential conflict over Taiwan, the self-governing democracy China claims as its own, despite diplomatic efforts.

Biden held a surprisingly cordial meeting in November with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in Bali, where they agreed to send Blinken to Beijing.

A U.S. military officer recently told his forces to be ready for war with China.

"I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025," Air Mobility Command chief General Mike Minihan wrote in a memo, saying that U.S. elections in 2024 would also "offer Xi a distracted America." (AFP)