China refuses to allow US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to visit Beijing. The Chinese government made this decision because of fears that the FBI will publish the results of an investigation into a reconnaissance balloon shot down by the US military in February, the Financial Times writes, citing sources.
“Four people familiar with the talks said China told the US it was not ready to pick a new date for the trip, which Blinken canceled in February, while it remains unclear what US President Joe Biden’s administration will do with the report,” says in the article.
According to the publication, Chinese officials are concerned that the administration of US President Joe Biden may release the report, along with physical evidence from the balloon, and its findings may appear during Blinken’s trip to the Middle Kingdom. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang raised the issue with Americans attending the China Development Forum in Beijing in March, three people with knowledge of the meeting said.
One of the sources of the publication indicated that the minister described the FBI investigation as another example of problems that make it difficult to stabilize relations between China and the United States.
The newspaper clarifies that some officials in the US do want evidence declassified for public release to show that the balloon was in fact conducting surveillance, and Congress is likely to also insist on the release of the FBI’s findings.
Several sources also told the publication that the PRC did not want to agree to Blinken’s visit because of dissatisfaction with the fact that US lawmakers, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, met with Taiwan’s chief of staff Tsai Ing-wen in April.
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