Washington, Beijing A suspected Chinese spy balloon over American territory has sparked a diplomatic crisis between China and the US. The US government described the flying object as a “surveillance balloon” and accused the People’s Republic of espionage. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his trip to Beijing, which was planned for Sunday and Monday, at short notice.
Blinken called the “Chinese surveillance balloon” in US airspace “irresponsible” and “unacceptable”. He said that to top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a crisis phone call. China dismissed US espionage allegations as slanderous. According to Chinese information, Wang said in an interview with Blinken that “no baseless speculation and propaganda are accepted”.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the flying object is a “civilian airship” for “meteorological and other scientific research”. He had limited steering ability and was “far off his planned course” due to gusts of wind. China regrets the balloon’s “unintentional entry” into US airspace. The US government criticized the “clear violation of our sovereignty and international law”.
Meanwhile, another possible balloon has been sighted over Latin America, according to the US. “We are in the process of finding out if this is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” said US Defense Department spokesman Pat Ryder.
Both sides called on each other to deal responsibly with the differences and to engage in dialogue. They assured each other that the channels of communication would remain open. Foreign policy expert Richard Haass therefore criticized the cancellation of the Blinken trip. Right now it is important to talk to China, the president of the US think tank Council on Foreign Relations told the CNN TV channel.
US warns of espionage by China
The short-term cancellation of Blinken’s trip to Beijing shows how tense the relationship between the USA and China is. The Pentagon described the balloon as a “surveillance balloon” early on and accused China of collecting security-related information. The United States has been warning of Chinese espionage efforts for some time.
The balloon, which has been in US airspace since January 28, according to the US Department of Defense, is “the size of three buses.” He had put the US authorities on alert. 150 Minuteman III ICBMs equipped with nuclear warheads are stored in Montana. Several US politicians called for the flying object to be shot down. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the US was mobilizing several F-22 fighter jets when the balloon was sighted on Wednesday. Because of possible falling debris, the government decided against it.
China has denied the allegation of espionage.
(Photo: dpa)
However, the balloon never posed any direct danger, as the Pentagon explained. Chinese surveillance satellites hovering in space over the US would have a far greater spying capacity. The balloon is also harmless to airplanes due to its high flight altitude. However, the incident underscores just how much the US-China relationship has deteriorated.
No new date for Blinken’s trip to Beijing yet
Biden’s top diplomat Blinken was expected in Beijing this weekend for the first visit by a US Secretary of State since 2018. According to information from several Western media, Blinken should also have met China’s head of state and party Xi Jinping. That would have been a remarkable signal of rapprochement on the part of the Chinese government.
Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was not received by Xi in 2018. However, the balloon scandal further deteriorated the relationship between the two world powers. A new date for the Blinken trip has not yet been announced.
At the beginning of his term in office, Biden declared that he did not want to lose contact with China.
(Photo: AP)
At the beginning of his term, Biden promised to maintain dialogue with Beijing. The US President wants to work pragmatically with China on climate policy or the North Korean conflict. But at the same time, Biden is focusing on differentiation, especially in the tech sector. He wants to exclude Chinese companies from critical future industries and decides to block one after the other.
In its national security strategy, the United States sees China as the “greatest geopolitical threat” and warns of Beijing’s nuclear buildup. For example, the US government fears a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its territory.
CIA director William Burns warned on Thursday not to underestimate the scenario of an escalation. Xi Jinping has instructed his military to be ready to invade the island’s democratic republic by 2027, Burns said. China’s head of state and party leader insists on a “unification” with Taiwan, if necessary by force.
Anti-China rhetoric characterizes US election campaign
The balloon incident also highlights the approaching US presidential election campaign. Democrats and Republicans are expected to outplay each other with anti-China rhetoric. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called the balloon a “brazen disregard for US sovereignty.” McCarthy confirmed this week that he plans to travel to Taiwan with a congressional delegation. A visit by former spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi was condemned in Beijing as an affront.
According to Western diplomatic circles in Beijing, China is now a “toxic topic” in US politics. There is nothing to be gained with a China-friendly policy. This is a dangerous development.
More: How China intimidates its critics in Germany