Biden POSTPONES Antony Blinken's Beijing trip over China 'spy balloon'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a planned visit to China following the detection of a suspected spy balloon over the United States which Beijing has claimed is a civilian airship which blew off course.

Blinken was expected to travel on Sunday for a visit which included a landmark meeting with President Xi Jinping. The trip was postponed on Friday morning after the balloon was detected earlier this week and monitored flying worryingly close to sensitive nuclear sites in Montana.

The detection of the balloon, which triggered alarm in the White House and the Pentagon, adds to a series of recent controversies that have further strained the tense relationship between China and the United States. 

Beijing had urged calm while it established the 'facts' before a statement on Friday morning said the balloon was a weather research device that had 'deviated far from its planned course'.