China has called for calm amid a growing diplomatic row with the US over suspected spy balloons, adding that Beijing was ‘verifying’ the reports. It comes after the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, indefinitely postponed a planned visit to Beijing after a large balloon was spotted in US airspace. ‘China is a responsible country that has always strictly abided by international laws, and it has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country,’ the foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
