This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
For about a week in early 2023, the United States was under a threat from a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon that flew across North American airspace, carrying intelligence-gathering equipment.
It eventually was shot down by the Air Force off the coast of South Carolina, and investigators then claimed it apparently had not sent information back to China.
Joe Biden described the situation as "not a major breach" and Chinese officials claimed it was a meteorological device that was blown "off course."
Now, however, a report from Fox confirms that Biden administration officials "held private talks with Beijing counterparts … and discussed the implications the balloon's publicity would have on the relationship between the U.S. and China."
This was before the American public was informed of the situation.
"An internal State Department readout of the talks between [then-Secretary of State Antony] Blinken and a top Chinese diplomat said Blinken stated that if the presence of the balloon were revealed publicly, it could have 'profound implications for our relationship' with China, particularly amid efforts to stabilize the bilateral relationship with Beijing," Fox reported, citing Trump administration officials familiar with the documents.
"Former Secretary Blinken advocated strongly to tell the American people about China's rogue balloon, which is exactly what happened," a spokesperson for Blinken told Fox, in a statement that claimed he "has a long history of being tough on China while actually delivering results."
Another State Department official also consulted with "Chinese counterparts," according to the report.
"A readout from that discussion says that the official claimed the longer it took to mitigate the issue would only increase the likelihood that news of the balloon would become public, posing greater challenges managing the situation," the report said Trump officials explained.
Eventually, the Pentagon issued a statement that the balloon had been detected, but even then White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said Biden got a briefing, but she did not provide details in issuing a statement.
Fox was told by a "former Biden administration official" that State summoned Chinese Diplomate Zhu Haiquan Feb. 1, 2023, to tell him China should remove the balloon, and that the U.S. could take its own action.
Marco Rubio, then a senator and now secretary of State, said Biden's failure to address the threat earlier was the "beginning of dereliction of duty."
The Pentagon eventually confirmed China's claim it was a weather balloon off course was not the truth.
"This was a PRC surveillance balloon," a defense official said, explaining it was to monitor sensitive military sites across the U.S.
