US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken is postponing his visit to China “indefinitely” after a Chinese spy balloon was spotted in US airspace, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“We have taken note of the statement that the People’s Republic of China regrets that the presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and that this has happened is unacceptable,” the statement said. the official said in a telephone conversation with reporters. “We have concluded that circumstances prevent Secretary Blinken from traveling to China at this stage,” the same source added.

The same source clarified that this is a postponement and that Blinken plans to go on the trip “at the first appropriate opportunity” when conditions permit. He told his Chinese colleague that he would not go.”

Blinken did not want the incident to dominate the agenda of his meetings with Chinese officials, ABC News reported, citing an unnamed US official.

The balloon, described by US officials as a “reconnaissance balloon,” circled the US mainland through Montana after having previously crossed airspace over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and Canada.

The Pentagon mobilized the aircraft and considered shooting down the balloon, officials said, cited by the WSJ, but ultimately did not issue an order due to concerns the debris would pose a danger to people on the ground.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that the balloon was a spy vehicle and claimed that it was in fact a meteorological survey balloon that veered off course. “China will keep in touch with the US to properly handle the unexpected situation,” the ministry said in a brief statement.

Source: Wall Street Journal