US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is postponing a high-profile visit to China, calling the overflight of a Chinese hot air balloon over US soil “irresponsible”.
China initially denied the balloon allegations, but later claimed it was in fact a civilian balloon that had gone off course.
Chinese apology
The balloon is visible to the naked eye even though it is located at an altitude of 18,000 meters. It is probably filled with helium and should normally be maneuverable.
China issued an apology, but the US Secretary of State still decided to cancel his visit to China on Sunday. There, among others, he would have met the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The visit was supposed to thaw the chilly relations between the two superpowers.
In the player above: “We know it’s a surveillance balloon”