United States and China
Spy balloon: Sharp criticism from US Secretary of State Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks clearly to China. photo
© Jacquelyn Martin/AP/dpa
A violation of international law and US sovereignty: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed clear words to China about a flying object – and drew consequences.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called China’s actions in relation to the spy balloon discovered over the US “irresponsible” and “unacceptable”.
Blinken said in Washington on Friday that he said so to top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call. The balloon’s appearance in US airspace is a clear violation of US sovereignty and a clear violation of international law. The world expects the US and China to handle their relationship responsibly. The US is doing it and he expects China to do the same, Blinken said. All communication channels to China are kept open on the part of the USA.
Top priority: remove balloon
The highest priority for the US is now to remove the balloon from its airspace, Blinken said. He did not say how that was to be done. The Pentagon had previously said it had decided against shooting down the balloon because of the danger of falling debris.
Actually, Blinken should have left for a visit to China on Friday. However, in light of current events, the visit was canceled at the last minute. He intends to visit Beijing as soon as conditions allow, Blinken said. However, China’s behavior in the run-up to the planned visit has damaged substantive talks, Blinken said in relation to the balloon.
On Thursday evening (local time), the Pentagon announced that it had been tracking a flying object in the airspace over the United States for days. One is sure that it is a Chinese spy balloon, it said. After some hesitation, China admitted that it was a Chinese aircraft. However, the balloon is only used for scientific purposes and has deviated from its trajectory.