The US says it was a Chinese spy balloon and its presence prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a weekend trip to China. Beijing insists it was an errant civilian airship used mainly for weather research.
“:”What in the world was that thing? The massive white orb that drifted across US airspace this week and was shot down by the Air Force over the Atlantic on live television on Saturday triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and blew up on social media. China insists the balloon was just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and had only limited “self-steering” capabilities. It also issued a threat of “further actions.” In a statement after the craft was shot down, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the use of force by the US was “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice”. It added: “China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response.” The United States says it was a Chinese spy balloon without a doubt. Its presence prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a weekend trip to China that was aimed at dialling down tensions that were already high between the countries. The Pentagon says the balloon, which was carrying sensors and surveillance equipment, was manoeuvrable and showed it could change course. It loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence. A US Air Force fighter jet shot down the balloon on Saturday afternoon off the Carolina coast. Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon slowly drifting toward the water. An operation is under way to recover the remnants. Pentagon says tracking Chinese spy balloon over US A look at what’s known about the balloon – and what isn’t: The Pentagon and other US officials say it was a Chinese spy balloon – about the size of three school buses – that moved east over America at an altitude of about 60,000 feet (18,600 meters). The US says it was being used for surveillance and intelligence collection, but officials have provided few details. US defence and military officials said on Saturday that the balloon entered the US air defence zone north of the Aleutian Islands on January 28 and moved over land across Alaska and into Canadian airspace in the Northwest Territories on January 30. The next day it crossed back into US territory over northern Idaho. US officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic. The White House said President Joe Biden was first briefed on the balloon on Tuesday. The State Department said Blinken and Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman spoke with China’s senior Washington-based official on Wednesday evening about the matter.
