Washington/Beijing，February 4, 2023（AseanAll）— U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who originally planned to visit China recently, postponed his visit to China due to the entry of a Chinese unmanned airship into US airspace.
On February 3, local time, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a call with Wang Yi, Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office.
Blinken said that he will not be traveling to the People’s Republic of China at this time in light of the current presence of a high-altitude PRC surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace.
However, the Secretary relayed that he had planned to visit Beijing to follow up on the agenda agreed to by President Biden and President Xi jinping in November, 2022 in Bali.
The Secretary noted the PRC’s statement of regret but conveyed that this is an irresponsible act and a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law that undermined the purpose of the trip.
Blinken explained that in light of this ongoing issue, it would not be appropriate to visit Beijing at this time.
On February 4 local time, the spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded.
Regarding the unintended entry of a Chinese unmanned airship into US airspace due to force majeure, the Chinese side has verified it and communicated it to the US side. "It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course," the spokesman explained.
"This is entirely an unexpected situation caused by force majeure，“ the spokesman said，China always acts in strict accordance with international law and respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. We have no intention to violate and has never violated the territory or airspace of any sovereign country.
The spokesman pointed out that maintaining contact and communication at all levels is an important common understanding reached by the Chinese and US presidents at their meeting in Bali. One of the tasks of the diplomatic teams on both sides is to properly manage bilateral relations, particularly to manage some unexpected situations in a cool-headed and prudent manner.
The spokesman finally said: "In fact, neither China nor the United States has announced any visit. The United States releases relevant information is its own business, and we respect it. “
