China's Foreign Ministry accused on Saturday some politicians and media outlets in the United States of using the incident involving a Chinese balloon to "attack and smear China." It insisted the balloon is a "civilian airship used for research" and that it crossed over into the US due to wind and its "limited self-steering capability."
The ministry stressed the importance of managing US-China relations "in a cool-headed and prudent manner" after US State Secretary Antony Blinken decided to cancel his trip to China. "In fact, neither side has ever announced that there would be a visit. It is a matter for the United States to make its latest announcement, and we respect that," the ministry said.
