--- title: How an Alleged Spy Balloon Derailed Blinken's China Meeting description: Canceling U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken long-planned trip underscores how seriously the White House views the incident. canonical: https://time.com/6252835/china-spy-balloon-blinken-meeting-canceled/ author: W.J. Hennigan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-02-03T18:06:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-11T20:59:47.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: How an Alleged Spy Balloon Derailed an Important U.S.-China Meeting og:description: Canceling U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken long-planned trip underscores how seriously the White House views the incident. og:url: https://time.com/6252835/china-spy-balloon-blinken-meeting-canceled/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b53b66e8519702f/698a3a0c011682049c982b85/Chinese-spy-balloon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2284 og:image:height: 1285 og:image:alt: APTOPIX United States China og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How an Alleged Spy Balloon Derailed an Important U.S.-China Meeting twitter:description: Canceling U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken long-planned trip underscores how seriously the White House views the incident. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b53b66e8519702f/698a3a0c011682049c982b85/Chinese-spy-balloon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:30 video:published: 2023-02-03 section: world topics: spy balloon, surveillance, U.S. airspace, NORAD monitoring, China, international law, debris risk, civilian safety genre: news, press briefing tones: measured, cautious, official, direct emotions: concern (medium), caution (medium), tension (medium) sentiment: neutral audience: general news readers, policy followers, defense watchers, international affairs audiences people: Pentagon official organizations: Pentagon, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), PRC content_suitability: politics [00:29-00:44]; war [00:37-00:44] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # How an Alleged Spy Balloon Derailed an Important U.S.-China Meeting > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1c8ca9b0-a6f1-4cd9-bab8-86936bcdd130&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Pentagon Says U.S. Rejects China's Claims That Spy Balloon Is Not Being Used for Surveillance [Watch (HLS stream): Pentagon Says U.S. Rejects China's Claims That Spy Balloon Is Not Being Used for Surveillance](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WT2i7A3L.m3u8) (2:30)  _Published 2023-02-03. The Pentagon said at midday Friday Feb. 3 that a Chinese spy balloon had moved eastward and was over the central United States, and that the U.S. rejected China's claims that it was not being used for surveillance._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary A Pentagon official briefs reporters on a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States, saying NORAD is monitoring it, that the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, and that it does not pose a physical threat to people on the ground. The official says the balloon is moving eastward and is well above commercial air traffic. Questions focus on why the balloon has not been shot down, with the official citing debris and civilian risk as factors in the decision. The video is a short press exchange on the balloon's presence and the U.S. response. ## Key points - NORAD continues to monitor the high-altitude surveillance balloon closely, and the balloon is moving eastward over the center of the continental United States. (00:00) - The U.S. assesses that the balloon does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground at this time. (00:23) - The official states that the U.S. knows the balloon is a surveillance balloon, though details are not provided beyond that. (00:37) - The balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which the official calls unacceptable. (00:44) - The balloon is assessed to be flying well above the altitude where civilian air traffic normally operates. (01:09) - Civilian commercial cameras could spot the balloon, and NORAD is closely monitoring it. (01:09) - Shooting the balloon down is being weighed against the size of its payload, the potential for debris, and the impact on civilians or property on the ground. (01:43) - Out of an abundance of caution, concern about a debris field from a takedown is a factor in the decision not to act immediately. (02:20) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:29] NORAD monitoring and balloon location. The official says NORAD is tracking the balloon, which is moving east over the central United States, and that it poses no threat to people on the ground. - [00:29 to 00:44] Response to China's claims. The official says the U.S. is aware of the PRC's statement but maintains the balloon is for surveillance and has violated U.S. airspace and international law. - [00:44 to 01:43] Balloon altitude and civilian visibility. The official describes the balloon's altitude above civilian air traffic and notes that commercial cameras could spot it. - [01:43 to 02:30] Why the balloon is not being shot down. Reporters ask why the balloon is not taken down, and the official cites payload size, debris risk, and civilian safety as reasons for waiting. ## Key quotes - [00:37] Pentagon official: "we know that it's a surveillance balloon" - [00:44] Pentagon official: "the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable" - [01:43] interviewer: "You said that this is violating our airspace, so why not take it down?" - [02:20] Pentagon official: "out of an abundance of caution, cognizant of the potential impact to civilians on the ground from a debris field" ## Questions this video answers - Where is the spy balloon currently located and which direction is it moving? [00:12] - Does the balloon pose a physical or military threat to people on the ground? [00:23] - Why hasn't the U.S. taken the balloon down? [01:43] - How high is the balloon flying relative to civilian air traffic? [01:09] - Could civilians spot the balloon with commercial cameras? [01:09] ## Content suitability - politics [00:29-00:44]: Discussion of China's statement and a dispute over a surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace. - war [00:37-00:44]: Surveillance and airspace violation are framed as a national security matter between the U.S. and China.  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Updated: Dec 11, 2023 8:59 PM UTCPublished: Feb 3, 2023 6:06 PM UTC The Pentagon said at midday Friday Feb. 3 that a Chinese spy balloon had moved eastward and was over the central United States, and that the U.S. rejected China's claims that it was not being used for surveillance.  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Updated: Dec 11, 2023 8:59 PM UTCPublished: Feb 3, 2023 6:06 PM UTC Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed [an approaching trip to Beijing](https://time.com/6252667/xi-jinping-blinken-us-china-ties/) Friday after [a suspected Chinese spy balloon](https://time.com/6252551/chinese-weather-balloon-shoot-down/) was spotted floating high above the northern continental United States, U.S. officials said. The decision came hours after the Chinese government confirmed the massive balloon belonged to them, while insisting it was [merely a “civilian airship” used for weather research](https://time.com/6252673/chinese-spy-balloon-satellite/) that accidentally wafted into U.S. airspace. Canceling the long-planned trip underscores how seriously the White House views the incident despite the Chinese government’s public attempt at contrition. Blinken would’ve been the highest-ranking Biden Administration official [to visit China](https://time.com/6252667/xi-jinping-blinken-us-china-ties/) and the first U.S. secretary of state to go to Beijing in six years. Although no details surrounding the trip were ever officially announced by the State Department, U.S. officials say he was scheduled to leave for Beijing Friday night. “After consultations with our interagency partners, as well as with Congress, we have concluded that the conditions are not right at this moment for Secretary Blinken to travel to China,” a senior State Department official says. News of the balloon’s presence over the U.S. [came late Thursday](https://time.com/6252551/chinese-weather-balloon-shoot-down/) when senior U.S. defense officials told reporters the military was tracking its flightpath, which was detected above the Aleutian Islands near Alaska, then through Canada, and ultimately into the United States. “I can tell you that the balloon continues to move eastward and is currently over the center of the continental United States,” Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said Friday.  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem on Jan. 31, 2023. Ronaldo Schemidt–AFP/ Getty Images The balloon has never posed a risk to Americans’ safety but it does remain over the U.S., and is expected to stay for a “few days,” he told reporters at the Pentagon. “It violated U.S. airspace,” he said. “It violated international law. We’ve communicated that to the government of China.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry admitted Friday in [a statement on its website](https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa%5Feng/xwfw%5F665399/s2510%5F665401/202302/t20230203%5F11019484.html) that the balloon did come from China. “It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” the ministry said, adding that the slow-moving, unmanned, white balloon had limited ability to course-correct its flightpath. “The airship deviated far from its planned course,” the ministry said. “The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to _force majeure_. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation.” Republicans in Congress took notice. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy demanded a briefing for the “Gang of Eight,” a colloquial term for the Republican and Democrat Congressional leaders who are informed on classified intelligence matters from the executive branch. Meanwhile, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas called for the abrupt cancellation of Blinken’s trip. > [](https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1621293064424669187) The balloon was flying at 60,000 feet—an altitude twice that of normal civilian air traffic—but the Pentagon still considered shooting it down with fighter jets as it traveled over Montana. The state is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of three bases that host nuclear-tipped Intercontinental ballistic missile fields. Flights to and from Billings Logan International Airport were halted on Wednesday as U.S. commanders determined what to do with the balloon. In the end, following recommendations of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and General Glen VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the decision was made to not attempt a shoot-down out of fears such an act could create a debris field that would endanger Americans on the ground The Canadian Department of National Defense said late Thursday it had also detected a high-altitude surveillance balloon that was being “actively tracked” by NORAD, which is a military organization that draws on intelligence from the U.S. and Canada. The statement did not make clear whether it was the same balloon that the U.S. was monitoring. Surveillance balloons have been spotted above the United States before, U.S. officials said, but this one was acting differently than previous such airships. “It’s happened a handful of other times over the past few years, to include before this administration,” a senior defense official said on Thursday. “It is appearing to hang out for a longer period of time, this time around.” Despite the public disclosures, U.S. officials still haven’t revealed what type of spy technology is on the Chinese balloon, only that the “large payload”—what’s described as basket of equipment under the craft—doesn’t give China any additional surveillance capabilities beyond what it already can collect through spy satellites currently orbiting the Earth. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6252835/china-spy-balloon-blinken-meeting-canceled/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6252835/china-spy-balloon-blinken-meeting-canceled/"},"headline":"How an Alleged Spy Balloon Derailed an Important U.S.-China Meeting","datePublished":"2023-02-03T18:06:45.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-11T20:59:47.000Z","description":"Canceling U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken long-planned trip underscores how seriously the White House views the incident.","url":"https://time.com/6252835/china-spy-balloon-blinken-meeting-canceled/","keywords":["Foreign Policy","Military","National Security","News Team"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b53b66e8519702f/698a3a0c011682049c982b85/Chinese-spy-balloon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"W.J. 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