After reporting on Thursday the presence of a first Chinese ball in its airspace, a second Chinese “spy ball” flew over Latin America, according to Washington, which decided to cancel the visit of its Secretary of State for Antony Blinken in China.
The case throws a cold between Washington and Beijing. A second “Chinese spy ball” was spotted above Latin America, the Pentagon announced on Friday, February 3. This is the second ball observed, the day before, the United States having announced the presence of a first Chinese ball in their airspace.
After the reporting of this first balloon, the Chinese authorities expressed their “regrets” for this “involuntary” intrusion, according to them. For his part, Washington judged the affront “unacceptable” and decided in extremis on Friday to cancel the trip of Antony Blinken, scheduled for Sunday and Monday in China.
The Secretary of State expressed American discontent during a call with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. He assured that his visit would be reprogrammed when “the conditions will allow”, and insisted on the need to keep “the communication lines” with Beijing. His visit to China would have been the first of an American secretary of state since October 2018.
