Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s diplomatic trip to China has been postponed following the discovery of a Chinese balloon over Montana (Pictures: AP/Reuters)

The US has postponed a high-stakes diplomatic trip to China after discovering a Chinese balloon flying over Montana suspected to be spying.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to leave Washington, DC, for Beijing on Friday but the decision to delay the visit was made hours before his planned departure, an administration official said.

China claimed that the balloon was a weather research satellite that blew off course. However, the US has assessed it as a surveillance satellite.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s diplomatic trip to China has been postponed after a Chinese balloon was discovered over Montana.