On Friday, the State Department announced that Blinken’s trip, which had not been publicly announced, has been delayed without a specific date due to the “infringement of our sovereignty and global law” caused by the balloon’s presence in American airspace.
Blinken was originally set to travel to Beijing to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict with Chinese authorities and meet with President Xi Jinping. The Republican members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee are urging Blinken to address the matter of the surveillance balloon with Xi and consider it "unacceptable." Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, has expressed strong opposition to the trip and asked why President Biden has not ensured the security of U.S. airspace.
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China has confirmed that the balloon in question is a Chinese-owned civilian research airship used for meteorological research. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the airship had strayed from its intended course due to the Westerlies and expressed regret over the incident.
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The Pentagon's Brig. Gen Pat Ryder confirmed at a press conference that a high-altitude surveillance balloon was seen floating over the continental United States. The government, including North American Aerospace Defense (Norad), is monitoring the balloon to ensure it poses no danger to people on the ground and keeps confidential data secure.
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China apologized for the occurrence, and the State Department accepted the apology while maintaining its stance on the issue. The State Department stated that Blinken will visit China "at the earliest feasible moment." GOP legislators are urging President Biden to end what they term as "appeasing" China and remove the surveillance balloon.
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