US shoots down Chinese spy balloon. Video / @ashlynforsc via Twitter
The United States has downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
An operation was underway in US territorial waters to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet (18,288m) and estimated to be about the size of three school buses.
Before the downing, President Joe Biden said earlier this morning: “We’re going to take care of it,” when asked by reporters about the balloon.
The Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below.
The balloon was spotted on Saturday morning Sunday morning NZ) over North Carolina as it neared the Atlantic coast.
Biden had been inclined to down the balloon over land when he was first briefed on it on Tuesday, but Pentagon officials advised against it, warning that the potential risk to people on the ground outweighed the assessment of potential Chinese intelligence gains.
The huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon is sailing across the US, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying and sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars. Photo / AP
“In actuality, the US and China have never announced any visit, the US making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Blinken was due to visit Beijing for talks aimed at reducing US-China tensions, the first such high-profile trip after the countries’ leaders met last November in Indonesia. But the US abruptly cancelled the trip after the discovery of the huge balloon despite China’s claim that it was merely a weather research “airship” that had blown off course.
The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China’s contention that the balloon was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.
The Pentagon also acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Brigadier General Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a question about the second balloon.
China has denied any claims of spying, and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. Experts have said their response is feasible. - AP
