BREAKING: Sec. Blinken postpones upcoming trip to Beijing after China says a suspected high-altitude surveillance balloon spotted over the U.S. is a “civilian airship” used for weather research.
said Thursday that he was requesting a briefing on the matter for the Gang of Eight, which includes Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate, as well as the chairs and ranking minority members of the House and the Senate intelligence committees.
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said he was"still waiting for real answers on how this happened and what steps the Administration took to protect our country, and I will hold everyone accountable until I get them." “This provocation is completely unacceptable," he said, adding that"I will always defend Montana and our national security from hostile adversaries like China.”
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing was assessing the situation and that speculation and hype were unhelpful while facts were still being clarified. “China is a responsible country that always abides by international law and has no intention of infringing on any country’s territory and airspace,” she said at a daily briefing.Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong, Patrick Smith from London, and Abigail Williams and Monica Alba from Washington.Abigail Williams
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