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Report: Antony Blinken Abruptly Cancels China Trip amid Spy Balloon Scandal
Breitbart ^ | 02-03-2023 | FRANCES MARTEL

Posted on 02/03/2023 8:04:46 AM PST by ChicagoConservative27

Senior Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs reported on Friday morning that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has canceled a planned visit to China in the wake of the discovery of a Chinese surveillance balloon in Montana.

Jacobs cited unnamed officials within the administration of far-left President Joe Biden who described the trip as being “postponed,” previously stating that Biden was considering whether to “postpone or cancel” the trip.

🚨Blinken’s trip to China is postponed.@SecBlinken was to have mtgs in Beijing next week in 1st such visit by top US diplomat in 5 years. But the presence of the balloon—which the Pentagon decided not to shoot down—led officials to decide that going now would send wrong signal.

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 3, 2023

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: balloon; blinken; china; tonyblinken; trip
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Relax the balloon is just dropping off Joe’s 10% and now Canada has one over it’s territory and it must be dropping off Trudeau’s 10%


21 posted on 02/03/2023 8:53:00 AM PST by butlerweave
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Being a good and loyal American, I felt it was my duty to rid our spacious skies of this Chinese aerial threat.

My Dad always told me, “Use the right tool for the job”, so I unboxed that quad copter thing I got for Christmas.

In case you didn’t receive one of these from Santa, they have four blades mounted to a piece of plastic. I immediately dubbed mine The Flying Sausage Slicer Of Death.

Not wanting to waste any time, I threw the directions away and plugged it into a UL approved power source.

I then took it outside and looked at the controller. It had a couple of what I call controlling stick devices. I figured one was for up and down and the other must be for left and right.

I hit the power button.

It turns out the Chinese balloon forces have little to worry about from me.

My Flying Sausage Slicer Of Death shot off like a drunk duck.

If you’ve never seen a drunk duck fly before, they look nothing like Maverick in his F-18.

They fly in circles quacking up a storm until they crash into something.

Which is what my interceptor did.

Not the quacking…..the crashing.

It slammed into my neighbor Steve’s chicken coop.

The chickens had evidently never implemented any air raid procedures and ran around like….well…..chickens.

Steve ran out to see what the commotion was about and I did the right thing and told him that I saw some kids playing with something.

I’m going out today to buy a model rocket kit.


22 posted on 02/03/2023 8:53:01 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer” )
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Curious, how does anyone know for sure if this mystery balloon was actually from China?


23 posted on 02/03/2023 8:56:03 AM PST by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism. )
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Two words misused in english, “scandal” and “lied”. I don’t see anything resembling a scandal here. Supposedly a balloon is floating across the country that may or may not be owned by the Chinese.

The word “lied” is used all the time when someone says something that is inccorrect or false. They only lied if the knew it to be inccorrect or false.

I can tell you it is 80 and sunny here in Portland Maine. It is not a lie unless I have read a weather report or stepped outdoors. I can assure you that I am now lying in telling you it is 80 degrees. It may be sunny out, but it is 10 degrees at noon on Friday, February 5, 2023.


24 posted on 02/03/2023 9:01:37 AM PST by Steven Scharf
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Am I supposed to believe the gubment that tells me Trump is a Ruskie agent, tells me I must buy 100k electric vehicle, will eventually outlaw my rifles, destroyed our economy, gutted the military, promoted mass illegal immigration, corrupted our youth, forced vaccines on the population and on and on.

If this really is a Chinese spy balloon, I wish them success.


25 posted on 02/03/2023 9:03:28 AM PST by CodeJockey ("The duty of a true Patriot is to protect his country from its government.” –Thomas Paine)
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Does seem like a set up and shooting it down might give them straight out permission to take out one of our spy satellites.


26 posted on 02/03/2023 9:04:00 AM PST by erlayman
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To: ChicagoConservative27

It isn’t as though Blinken’s trip was going to further American interests.....


27 posted on 02/03/2023 9:05:37 AM PST by G Larry ( "woke" means 'stupid enough to fall for the promotion of every human weakness into a virtue')
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To: 1Old Pro
Let Batman capture the balloon. He's done it before
28 posted on 02/03/2023 9:07:28 AM PST by COBOL2Java (Gun laws empower criminals. Guns empower the people.)
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Someone has reasoned that we can learn more regarding China’s communication with the balloon payload.


29 posted on 02/03/2023 9:07:51 AM PST by G Larry ( "woke" means 'stupid enough to fall for the promotion of every human weakness into a virtue')
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To: COBOL2Java
A better scene, I think
30 posted on 02/03/2023 9:09:22 AM PST by COBOL2Java (Gun laws empower criminals. Guns empower the people.)
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To: Doctor Congo

“...the Chinese were attempting to get some last minute information...”

“We are confident that this high-altitude surveillance balloon belongs to the [People’s Republic of China],” the senior defense official said. “Instances of this activity have been observed over the past several years, including prior to this administration.”

While the balloon’s current flight path carries it over “a number of sensitive sites,” the official said it does not present a significant intelligence gathering risk. The balloon is assessed to have “limited additive value” from an intelligence collection perspective, the official added.

The US, Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said, is “taking steps nevertheless to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information. We are also tracking what abilities it could have in gaining insights, and continue to monitor the balloon as it was over the continental United States.”

They’ve been flying these things over the US for many years. We knew they were there and sealed any info they could get. If we wanted to we could easily burn one out of the sky. But it would serve no purpose. Observation Balloons were used back in the late 1700’s and still work about the same way. So they are fooling no one.

wy69


31 posted on 02/03/2023 9:15:07 AM PST by whitney69
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To: MeganC
Curious, how does anyone know for sure if this mystery balloon was actually from China?

China confirmed it.
32 posted on 02/03/2023 9:23:33 AM PST by TexasGunLover
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To: usurper

Purposely releasing the coof was kinda stupid yet they did it because they figured the math fell in their favor.


33 posted on 02/03/2023 9:24:28 AM PST by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same. )
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To: VTenigma

“We have numbers of these same type ballons up over the country every day spying”

I haven’t heard that before. Anyway, those balloons aren’t guided and go in unpredictable directions, don’t they. Doesn’t sound like the ideal spy tool.


34 posted on 02/03/2023 9:25:41 AM PST by cymbeline
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To: ChicagoConservative27

This is all about the optics.

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/f-22s-scramble-from-nellis-in-response-to-chinese-spy-balloon-over-us/

The Corrupt-in-Chief wouldn’t let the AF shoot it down over Montana, the least populous state in the Union. Can’t have that with Blinken heading to China for negotiations. The ChiComs might not fork over his 10%.

How much did the Big Guy get from the ChiComs through Hunter as divulged through his laptop? At least the bought and paid-for b@stardo stays bought.


35 posted on 02/03/2023 9:31:31 AM PST by afsnco (18 of 20 in AF JAG)
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To: ChicagoConservative27

This is probably a good thing since Blinken would just sell out the country some more in person.


36 posted on 02/03/2023 9:41:59 AM PST by falcon99 ( )
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Most likely the US govt publicized the balloon in order to give Tony an excuse to cancel the trip. It seemed like there were too many people giving out prepared statements in reaction to the closure of airspace in Billings.

Probably the talks with Japan and The Netherlands regarding further embargoes on semiconductor manufacturing equipment exports to China did not result in definitive agreements. There was no official communique out of their meetings, and no official statements from Japan and The Netherlands.

Thus, Blinken was not in a strong position to go beat up on Xi.


37 posted on 02/03/2023 9:43:26 AM PST by FarCenter
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To: TexasGunLover

Oh. Thank you! I must have missed that.


38 posted on 02/03/2023 9:43:41 AM PST by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism. )
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To: VTenigma

>>How do we know this is a CCP balloon?

You don’t believe the Chinese government?

Chinese spy balloon over US is weather device says Beijing

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64515033


39 posted on 02/03/2023 9:48:14 AM PST by FarCenter
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Blinken needs to sail off in a wooden shoe with Winken and Nod and never return.


40 posted on 02/03/2023 11:03:47 AM PST by bravo whiskey (Annie Savoy : The world is made for people who aren't cursed with self awareness. )
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