Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Yesterday, Secretary Blinken spoke on the phone with the Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi, to inform him that his trip to Beijing had been canceled because of the Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States, which is a clear violation of American sovereignty and international law. This was stated in a Twitter tweet issued by US State Department website
The US decision to cancel the visit came after a rare Chinese apology, saying it was a mistake and that the balloon was for civilian purposes and derailed
According to earlier media reports, "US officials are still tracking the suspected Chinese spy balloon while it was flying over the US sky at an altitude of 60,000 feet over the country.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said: "The presence of this surveillance balloon in US airspace is a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law."

"It is irresponsible and the decision of the People's Republic of China to take this action on the eve of my planned visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions for which we were prepared," he added.

While officials debated for several days whether or not to shoot down the balloon, President Joe Biden advised that it would be too dangerous.