Secretary of State Blinken postpones China trip, after discovery of Chinese balloon over US, report

Secretary of State Blinken on Friday reportedly postponed his diplomatic trip this weekend China trip, following the discovery of Chinese balloon over the western United States.

The postponement was reported first by the Associated Press.

The wire service said it was informed by an unnamed official about Blinken's decision, shortly before he was to departed from Washington, D.C., to Beijing. 

News reports surfaced late Thursday about the discovery of the high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over sensitive sites in the western United States.

China said Friday the ballon is a weather research satellite that had blown off course. The U.S. has described it as a surveillance satellite, also according to the Associated Press.

The revelations about the ballon comes amid increasingly tense times between the United States and Communist-led China over such issues as Taiwan, human rights and China’s claims in the South China Sea.