US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday he was postponing his weekend trip to China due to suspicions that the Chinese spy balloon was crossing the United States.
“We are confident that this is a Chinese surveillance balloon,” he said.
Blinken said it was “detrimental” to the discussions officials planned to have during his visit. He added that the US and China will continue to keep lines of communication open, including to board the balloon.
“As soon as we detected the balloon, the US government immediately acted to protect against the collection of classified information,” Blinken said at a news conference on Friday.
“We have communicated with the PRC government [República Popular da China] directly through various channels on this matter. Members of my team consulted with our partners in other agencies and in Congress. We have also engaged our allies and close partners to inform them of the presence of the surveillance balloon in our airspace.”
Blinken said he told the director of the CPC Central Foreign Affairs Office, Wang Yi, this 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 permit”.
“The world looks to the United States and China to manage our relationship responsibly,” he said.
“The United States will continue to act in ways that reflect that responsibility. We hope that our PRC colleagues will do the same,” she added.
Source: CNN Brasil
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