Chinese spy balloon a spanner in US-China ties, but lines of communication stay open

WASHINGTON A huge Chinese balloon drifting in the stratosphere some 60,000ft above central United States has put a spanner in what many hoped was budding detente between China and the United States, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelling a much-anticipated trip to Beijing this weekend.

But there are hopes that the pause may be temporary.

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