WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday scra­pped a rare Beijing trip aimed at easing escalating tensions between the two global powers, after the Pentagon said that China sent a spy balloon over the United States.

Moments before the decision, China issued a rare statement of regret and blamed winds for blowing over what it called a civilian airship.

But President Joe Biden’s administration was not impressed and, with the rival Republican Party already on the offensive, Blinken postponed his two-day visit that would have started on Sunday.

“We have noted the PRC statement of regret but the presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law and it is unacceptable,” said a senior US official, referring to China.

The official said Blinken personally conveyed the decision and would still go ahead with his visit to Beijing once “conditions are right,” although no date was set.

Blinken would have been the first top US diplomat to visit China since October 2018, signaling a thaw following intense friction under former president Donald Trump.

The Pentagon said on Thursday it was tracking the balloon which flew far above the western state of Montana and decided for safety reasons not to shoot it down. After initial hesitation, Beijing admitted ownership of the “airship” and said it veered off course due to the winds.

“The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” said the statement attributed to a foreign ministry spokesperson.

“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure,” it said, using the legal term for an act outside of human control.

“The Chinese side will continue communicating with the US side and properly handle this unexpected situation.”

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2023