China: Balloon in US airspace for research, expresses regret for straying into US - Blinken postpones next week’s China trip - video

China said on Friday an “airship” that is flying over the United States is for civilian meteorological and other scientific purposes and voiced regret that it strayed into US airspace.

US officials said on Thursday that a Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a couple of days, in what would be a brazen act just days ahead of a planned trip to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 

•  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has decided to postpone his trip to China after a Chinese spy balloon was discovered over the continental United States this week, officials said Friday.

The top US diplomat was scheduled to visit Beijing and meet with his Chinese counterpart as well as Xi Jinping next week. He would have been the first secretary of state to visit China since 2018.