Secretary of State Antony Blinken explained why he canceled his trip to China, saying, “Conditions were not conducive for a constructive visit at this time.”
Blinken addressed the cancellation at a press briefing Friday as a Chinese spy balloon continues to fly over the Midwest.
BLINKEN POSTPONES BEIJING TRIP FOLLOWING CHINESE SPY BALLOON CONTROVERSY
“In my call today with Dir. Wang Yi, I made clear that the presence of this surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace is a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law,” Blinken said.
.@SecBlinken: “We concluded that conditions were not conducive for a constructive visit at this time. In my call today with Dir. Wang Yi, I made clear that the presence of this surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace is a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law.” pic.twitter.com/mRH80Sowrg
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 3, 2023
Blinken also called the action by China “irresponsible” and “detrimental” ahead of the planned trip by the secretary.
“Any country that has its airspace violated in this way, I think, would respond similarly. I can only imagine what the reaction would be in China if they were on the other end,” Blinken added.
Blinken did say he plans to visit Beijing “when conditions allow” and that lines of communication will remain open.
He has also stated the top priority is getting the balloon out of U.S. airspace.
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The visit by Blinken was scheduled when President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022, per the secretary.
The balloon was detected by government officials Wednesday. The Pentagon said it deliberated shooting the balloon down but decided against it.
Officials say the balloon poses no civilian threat and is likely for surveillance.
