China says it’s looking into report of spy balloon over US

BEIJING (AP) — China says it is looking into reports that a Chinese spy balloon has been spotted in U.S. airspace and urged calm, adding that it has “no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country.” A Foreign Ministry spokesperson says she has no information about whether a planned trip to China by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken next week will proceed as scheduled. She says that politicians and the public should withhold judgment “before we have a clear understanding of the facts.” Blinken had been due to arrive in China on Sunday amid a sharp downturn in relations between Beijing and Washington over trade, Taiwan, human rights and China’s claims in the South China Sea.