US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend a security conference in Germany later this week, raising speculation he may meet China's top foreign policy official Wang Yi amid a row over alleged spy balloons.

The US State Department announced on Wednesday that Blinken will take part in the Munich Security Conference, which will be held for three days starting Friday.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Wang, a Communist Party Politburo member who is in charge of China's foreign policy, will attend the forum.

The US government has maintained there are no plans for Blinken to meet Wang on the sidelines of the Munich conference.

Earlier this month, Blinken postponed a scheduled trip to China after a Chinese balloon flew across the US mainland. The US shot it down, claiming it was flown for surveillance purposes.

China has reacted strongly to the incident. Beijing claims that US balloons are illegally flying in Chinese airspace.

Despite the rift, the US administration attaches importance to dialogue with China, and says Blinken will visit China as soon as conditions are set.