is it time to pop that balloon? i m michael smerconish. it sparked kshs about national security regarding beijing. is it more a about symbolism? secretary of state antony blinken was due to travel to china this weekend. he postponed his trip calling the infiltration a, quote, irresponsible act that created conditions that undermine the purpose of the trip. the public first learned of the balloon s existence thursday while it was over montana, which is home to ballistic missile silos and bomber bases. china is saying it s all innocent. a spokesperson for the chinese foreign min city sits is a civilian air shift used for meteorological purposes affected by the westerlies and limited self-steering capability, it deviated from its course. the chinese side regrets the entry of the ship. but it was a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law. the balloon does not pose a military or political threat and a senior defense official said military officials a advise
our boomers. that s all three legs of the triad. so really it s an in your face operation by the chinese. it smacks of the very provocative and belligerent attitudes of the chinese military right now. these guys know better, but they emotionally want to go to war. was postpone ing the blinken trip the right call? i want you to see something else. this comes from today s new york times. put that up on the screen. making a statement, she s from cornell university. she said that the decision to cancel blinken s trip, quote, reflects the unfortunate triumph of symbolism over substance. what are we talking about here? we re talking substance. just before the trip, it indicated that they really don t want to talk in good faith to the secretary of state. so there s no point in talking.
is it time to pop that balloon? i m michael smerconish. it sparked kshs about national security regarding beijing. is it more a about symbolism? secretary of state antony blinken was due to travel to china this weekend. he postponed his trip calling the infiltration a, quote, irresponsible act that created conditions that undermine the purpose of the trip. the public first learned of the balloon s existence thursday while it was over montana, which is home to ballistic missile silos and bomber bases. china is saying it s all innocent. a spokesperson for the chinese foreign min city sits is a civilian air shift used for meteorological purposes affected by the westerlies and limited self-steering capability, it deviated from its course.