Reports indicate that China is rejecting Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s requests to reschedule his travel to the Asian giant after he canceled the trip due to tensions over the passage of a suspected spy balloon into U.S. airspace.
In February, the purported Chinese surveillance balloon above the United States caused Blinken to cancel a planned visit to Beijing. Until the military shot it down off the coast of the Carolinas, the balloon had traveled across almost the whole nation.
According to reports, China got secret information on US military installations from the balloon’s intelligence-gathering equipment.
Blinken still hopes to go to the country and patch things up there. Yet, it doesn’t seem that feeling is still shared. What began as a mutual desire to calm an escalating relationship has shifted to focus primarily on the United States and China.
China, meanwhile, is ghosting the U.S.
The issue of Taiwan is a source of tension between China and the United States. The People’s Republic of China, which rules Hong Kong, also asserts its right to be considered China’s legitimate central government. The official stance of the island’s government is one of neutrality.
Yet, China claims that the U.S. may support such a separatist movement after American officials have met with officials in Taipei. When then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to the island in August 2022, she caused an uproar in China.
China has reportedly been critical of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s plans to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen of the Republic of China on Wednesday.
McCarthy held a news conference where he signaled his intention to take a hard line on China and his desire to cooperate with Democrats to counter Chinese influence.
Concerning the United States and its many political parties, he said they are going to speak with one voice. He said China’s actions would not prevent him from talking to anybody he wanted.
McCarthy said he is the Speaker of the House, and China is not going to tell him where he can travel or who he can talk to.
