Chinese balloon soars across US; Blinken scraps Beijing trip

A suspected Chinese spy balloon in the sky over Billings, Montana, on Feb 1, 2023. - AFP

WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (AP): A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the US on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying on sensitive military sites despite China's firm denials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing US-China tensions.

Aside from the government response, fuzzy videos dotted social media as people with binoculars and telephoto lenses tried to find the "spy balloon” in the sky as it headed southeastward over Kansas and Missouri at 60,000 feet (18,300 meters).