A fighter jet flies near the remnants of a large balloon after it was struck by a missile over the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina near Myrtle Beach, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. The downing of the suspected Chinese spy balloon by a missile from an F-22 fighter jet created a spectacle over one of the state’s tourism hubs and drew crowds reacting with a mixture of bewildered gazing, distress and cheering. (Chad Fish via AP)
APTOPIX US Chinese Balloon South Carolina
(Washington, D.C.) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Beijing this weekend. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says Blinken has clear objectives for the rare high-level meeting between the U.S. and China. The two nations are going through a period of heightened tension. Blinken was set to meet with Chinese leaders back in February, but his trip was delayed after the U.S. shot down, what’s believed to have been a Chinese spy balloon surveilling the U.S.
