China attempted to assert Friday that a spy satellite spotted above American airspace was being used for weather research. However, the balloon was later lost. Washington and Beijing were already at odds after the discovery.
Because the balloon was likely to fly over sensitive areas, the Pentagon decided not shoot it down. This decision was made because the potential for injury to people living on the ground.
Trump was a former president and made it clear that he would not hesitate for the balloon’s downing.
“SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!”He demanded Truth Social.
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This bizarre explanation from China came just as U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken was due to travel to Beijing for the first time this weekend. The visit has not been formally announced, and it was unclear if the balloon’s discovery would affect his travel plans.
Blinken would be the highest-ranking member of President Joe Biden’s administration to visit China, on a mission to mitigate a sharp downturn in relations between the countries amid trade disputes and concerns about Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea.
Late Friday’s statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the balloon was a civilian aircraft used for meteorological research. It was claimed that the aircraft is only used for meteorological research. “self-steering”Capabilities and “deviated far from its planned course”Because of the winds.
A senior American defense official stated to Pentagon reporters on Thursday that the U.S. had withdrawn its nuclear weapons. “very high confidence”The object that was seen in U.S. Airspace over the past days was actually a Chinese high altitude balloon. It was also flying above sensitive areas to gather information.
One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. An official speaking on condition of anonymity was requested to disclose sensitive information.
Defense officials stated that U.S. experts have determined the balloon is safe. “limited” value in terms of providing intelligence that couldn’t be obtained by other technologies, such as spy satellites.
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It was unclear what will happen with the balloon if it isn’t brought down.
Brig. General Patrick Ryder, Pentagon press secretary Brig.
He said the balloon was traveling well above the height at which commercial aircraft fly and didn’t present a threat to people on the ground.
Biden was given a briefing by senior officials and was asked to provide options. The official also said that Biden had not been authorized to speak publicly about sensitive information. A senior defense official stated that the U.S. has F-22 fighter aircraft available to take down the balloon upon order.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff advised against any taking “kinetic action”because there are risks to people’s safety on the ground. Biden, a Democrat accepted the recommendation.
The balloon was in Montana’s sparsely populated region, but its sheer size could have caused a dangerous debris field.
While the official from defense would not reveal the exact size of the balloon, the official said that commercial pilots could see it from their cockpits.
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NBC News first reported the balloon.
The Billings Gazette took a photo of the large white balloon that lingers over the area. Gazette photographer Larry Mayer stated that the balloon could be seen moving in and out clouds with what looked like a solar array suspended from its bottom.
The balloon’s appearance adds to national security concerns among American lawmakers over China’s influence in the U.S., ranging from the prevalence of the hugely popular smartphone app TikTok to purchases of American farmland next to U.S. military bases.
“China’s brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed,”Kevin McCarthy, Republican Party House President, tweets
Tensions with China are particularly high on numerous issues, ranging from Taiwan and the South China Sea to human rights in China’s western Xinjiang region and the clampdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong. Not least on that list of irritants are China’s tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its refusal to rein in North Korea’s expanding ballistic missile program and ongoing disputes over trade and technology.
On Tuesday, Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations by 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part Beijing’s strategy to unsettle and intimidate the self-governing island democracy.
Twenty-five of the aircraft flew over the Taiwan Strait central line, which has been an informal buffer zone for the two sides since 1949. It was this area that separated in civil war.
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Beijing has also increased preparations for a potential blockade or military action against Taiwan, which has stirred increasing concern among military leaders, diplomats, and elected officials in the U.S., Taiwan’s key ally.
The Associated Press contributed this article
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