Beijing: China said on Tuesday that it would “resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests” over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon by the United States. The balloon prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a highly-anticipated visit to Beijing this week that had offered slight hopes for an improvement in relations. China claims it was a civilian balloon used for meteorological research but has refused to say to which government department or company it belongs.
