(IntegrityPress.org) – U.S. Secretary of state, Antony Blinken, will be postponing his visit to China after an apparent Chinese spy balloon was detected over the skies in the American heartland. A Department of State official stated that the timing for a visit now is not right and called that the mere existence of this spy balloon is violation of American sovereignty. The Biden administration considers the balloon to be some sort of surveillance balloon, while China is claiming that it is a civilian airship used for meteorological research that diverged from its course due to its limited and primitive flight capabilities. Even though Blinken will not be visiting, the Department of State official was still adamant that communication will and should stay transparent between Beijing and DC.
The relationship between the US and China has been very strained as of late for many reasons, including an all-but-named trade war, Taiwan’s status as its own country, other territorial issues in the South China Sea, and western efforts against ever-growing Chinese influence in its immediate pacific vicinity. The now-postponed trip was supposed to help to deflate said tensions. There has also been many worries and warnings from Washington over China’s role in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Although, officials of both countries have repeatedly implied they do not want tensions to rise, nor do they want some sort of new cold war.
Republican members of Congress are frustrated and are demanding some sort of response from the Biden administration. Senator Josh Hawley has called for a congressional hearing, while Congressman Scott Fitzgerald has endorsed the decision to postpone Blinken’s trip but believes the administration must do more to make it clear that any sort of violation or sovereignty or surveillance against the US will not be tolerated. Canada, who shares a border with Montana and also has a rocky relationship with Beijing, summoned the Chinese ambassador on 2/2/2022 to express their reasoning and involvement in this ongoing national security violation.
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