• The US claimed it was a clear Violation.
• Wang reminded Blinken that both parties needed to communicate in a timely manner.
• Wang claimed that China has always strictly abided by international law and respected sovereignty.

China: The Chinese foreign ministry stated on Saturday that the flight of a Chinese “airship” over the United States was a result of force majeure, accusing US politicians and media of exploiting the situation to malign China.

The US, claiming the device was a suspected spy balloon that had committed a “clear violation” of US sovereignty, postponed Secretary of State Antony Blicken’s visit to China, which was scheduled to begin on Friday.

“China has always strictly abided by international law and respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries,” the ministry said in a statement.

It said Beijing and Washington had not announced any visit by Blinken and that “the U.S. announcements are their own matter and we respect that”.

In a separate statement, the ministry said Wang Yi, director of China’s Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, met with Blinken on the phone on Friday evening and discussed how to deal with unintentional occurrences in a calm and professional manner.

According to the ministry, Wang reminded Blinken that both parties needed to communicate in a timely manner to avoid any miscalculations.

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