China Rejects Blinken’s Beijing Visit over ‘Spy Balloon’ Concerns

China is refusing to let US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visit Beijing over concerns that the FBI will unveil the investigation results into the downed suspected Chinese spy balloon.

The Asian country told Washington that it was not prepared to reschedule Blinken's canceled trip in February while it remains unclear what the administration of President Joe Biden will do with the report.

Media reports revealed that the Chinese officials are concerned the Biden administration could release the FBI report along with physical evidence from the balloon, adding that its findings could be made public during Blinken’s trip to China.

China’s foreign minister Qin Gang raised the issue with Americans attending the China Development Forum in Beijing last month, said three people familiar with the meeting.

Last week, China's President Xi Jinping called on the state’s armed forces to "strengthen military training oriented towards actual combat".

This came after Beijing conducted military drills intended to intimidate Taiwan.

Xi told the People's Liberation Army's Southern Theatre Command Navy that the military must "resolutely defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests, and strive to protect overall peripheral stability," state broadcaster CCTV reported.