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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China’s top diplomat urges US to ‘avoid misjudgment’ after Blinken postpones visit to Beijing over balloon controversy

  • Wang Yi tells US secretary of state both sides need to ‘manage and control differences’
  • Blinken calls surveillance balloon’s presence in US airspace ‘a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law’

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The Chinese balloon floats over Columbia, Montana, on Friday. Photo: AP
Teddy Ng
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, has called for speculation and misjudgment to be avoided after an “accidental incident” – the detection of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over the United States – led to the postponement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China.
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Wang, a member of the Communist Party Central Committee’s Politburo, told Blinken in a phone conversation late on Friday that both nations had communicated on how to handle the latest controversy in a calm and professional manner.

“China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international law. We do not accept any groundless speculation and hype,” Wang was quoted as saying in a foreign ministry statement issued on Saturday.

03:06

Pentagon says it is tracking ‘Chinese spy balloon’ in US ahead of Blinken’s first trip to Beijing

Pentagon says it is tracking ‘Chinese spy balloon’ in US ahead of Blinken’s first trip to Beijing

“In the face of unexpected situations, what both parties need to do is to maintain concentration, communicate in a timely manner, avoid misjudgments, and manage and control differences.”

Blinken said on Friday that he would postpone his trip to China, which had been scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

Blinken said he told Wang “that the presence of this surveillance balloon in US airspace is a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law … and that the PRC decision to take this action on the eve of my planned visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have”. The US shot the balloon down on Saturday.

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Blinken said he planned to visit Beijing when conditions allowed and that the US would continue to maintain lines of communication with China to address the balloon situation and other issues.

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