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US halts Blinken China visit after spy balloon row

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a trip to China after a Chinese spy balloon was discovered flying across the US, the BBC reports.

Mr Blinken was expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart, and potentially with President Xi Jinping.

The visit would have come amid fraying tensions between the two countries.

China has said the balloon is used for meteorological research and deviated from its route because of bad weather.

US officials have said they are confident the “surveillance balloon” floating above the US is Chinese.

A statement from China’s Foreign Ministry said that it “regrets” the incident and will work with the US to resolve the issue.

Mr Blinken’s visit was expected to take place on 5 and 6 February.

A US official quoted by the Associated Press said that the decision to abruptly halt the trip was made by Mr Blinken and President Joe Biden.

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