Blinken’s trip to Beijing postponed after U.S. spots Chinese spy balloon

The U.S. State Department has postponed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing after American officials said they had found a Chinese spy balloon above the continental U.S., according to multiple published reports. China’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that the balloon the U.S. suspects of conducting surveillance was a civilian “airship” used for research, mainly meteorological purposes.