China Warns of Retaliation Against US Entities in Balloon Saga

Navy/Getty Images Material recovered from a high-altitude balloon for transport to federal agents at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Feb. 10, 2023. Some of the 10 US balloons that Beijing says traveled over China since May last year passed over Xinjiang and Tibet, Wang added. Blinken had canceled a planned trip to Beijing this month when the initial balloon controversy erupted. The US claims the Chinese balloon was part of a global surveillance program and it added six Chinese companies it said are linked to Beijing’s espionage program to a blacklist last week. China has insisted that the balloon was a weather-monitoring device.