Biden admin held private talks with Beijing on Chinese spy balloon ahead of notifying public, officials say
Readouts of the meetings indicate that Blinken was worried balloon's publicity could undercut relations with China
By Diana Stancy Fox News
Published April 9, 2025 7:00am EDT
EXCLUSIVE: Biden administration State Department officials held private talks with Beijing counterparts about the Chinese spy balloon that intercepted U.S. airspace in 2023, and discussed the implications the balloon's publicity would have on the relationship between the U.S. and China, according to Trump administration officials.
U.S. officials identified the spy balloon infiltrating U.S. airspace on Jan. 28, 2023, and an Air Force fighter jet shot down the Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina Feb. 4, 2023, two days after the Pentagon issued a statement on the matter.
Biden officials held discussions with Beijing Feb. 1, 2023, about the balloon, and discussed the impact disclosing the balloon to the public could have on the relationship with China, internal State Department documents show, two Trump administration officials told Fox News Digital.
An internal State Department readout of the talks between Blinken and a top Chinese diplomat said Blinken stated that if the presence of the balloon were revealed publicly, it could have "profound implications for our relationship" with China, particularly amid efforts to stabilize the bilateral relationship with Beijing, two Trump administration officials familiar with the documents told Fox News Digital.
The readout said that the incident could also have complicated Blinken’s travel plans to China in early February 2023, if not quickly resolved. Blinken ultimately postponed the trip until June 2023.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-held-private-talks-beijing-chinese-spy-balloon-ahead-notifying-public-officials-say
