A senior US defense official told reporters that Washington was very confident it was a Chinese high-altitude balloon flying over sensitive areas to collect information.
After the Chinese spy balloon was seen in America, the atmosphere between the two countries has heated up. Tell that this balloon equal to the size of three buses Foreign Minister Antony Blinken Shown just before K’s visit to China. However, for the time being the journey has been postponed. Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said the balloon is ‘currently flying at an altitude above commercial air traffic and does not pose a danger to people on the ground.’ Ryder said that similar ballooning activity has been observed over the past several years and that the government has taken steps to ensure that no sensitive information is stolen.
According to a senior administration official, President Biden was briefed and the military was asked to present alternatives. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Miley advised against taking action because of the risk to the safety of people on the ground. Biden accepted this recommendation.
Balloon will keep flying over America
The Pentagon said on Friday that the Chinese balloon would float over the United States for the next few days. General Ryder told reporters that as of Friday afternoon the Chinese balloon was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet and was flying in an eastward direction over the center of the continental US. He also said that Aerospace Defense is monitoring the suspected balloon ‘closely’.
Foreign Minister’s visit to Beijing postponed
In fact, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his visit to Beijing after a Chinese balloon was seen over America. The decision came despite China’s claim that the balloon was a meteorological research satellite that lost its course. America has called it a surveillance satellite. With this, the already strained US-China relations have suffered another blow. Officials said that Blinken and President Joe. Biden determined that it was better not to travel at this time.
US suspected of surveillance
At the same time, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the balloon which the US is suspected of monitoring is of civilian purpose, which is mainly used for meteorological research. The ministry said in a statement that due to wind, the balloon’s operational capability was limited and it “deviated far from its planned route”. It said that China regrets the unintended entry of its balloon into US airspace.
high flying balloon
A senior US defense official told reporters that Washington was very confident it was a Chinese high-altitude balloon flying over sensitive areas to collect information. The official said on the condition of anonymity that the places where the balloon was seen included Montana, where the country has three nuclear missile launch sites.
Why isn’t America killing Chinese balloons?
The Pentagon press secretary said the balloon is currently flying at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not pose a military or physical threat to people on the ground. He said that another reason for not demolishing it was that the debris could be harmful to people on the ground and result in damage to property.
