The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has postponed his trip to China this weekend, with a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon currently making its way across the US. The drama is the latest in a number of diplomatic spats between the two nations – so what happens now?
How did we get here?
The appearance of the balloon alarmed the Pentagon, with its path carrying it over a “number of sensitive” military sites in the US. It has been seen over Montana, which is home to underground intercontinental ballistic missile silos. That prompted the US military to ready its fighter jets, although a decision was made not to shoot the balloon down. It is expected to be in US airspace for a number of days yet, according to US officials.
