US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a planned high-stakes weekend diplomatic trip to Beijing after a Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across American airspace.
The abrupt decision came despite China's claim that the balloon was a weather research satellite that had blown off course. The US has described it as a surveillance satellite.
US president Joe Biden declined to comment when questioned at an economic event but former president Donald Trump said the US should have immediately shot down the balloon.The US military is following the device, which is flying higher than civil air traffic but lower than outer space. The US government said it does not want to shoot down the balloon as it fears the debris could cause damage.Fury as British Airways pilots and cabin crew 'banned from posting cockpit selfies' on social mediaBrigadier General Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, said: "The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now.The balloon is carrying out surveillance.
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