Representative Andy Kim told Newsweek the surveillance balloon was a « reckless move » by President Xi Jinping.
Democrats on the newly constituted House of Representatives’ select committee on China have expressed dismay at the presence of a Chinese spy balloon in the U.S. and suggested it will harm relations.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has described the balloon as a « civilian airship » mostly used to monitor the weather but the Department of Defense (DOD) has identified it as a surveillance balloon.
« Violations of American air space must be taken seriously and I’m grateful for the quick action of our Defense Department and national security teams, » said Representative Andy Kim of New Jersey.
« It is a reckless move by President Xi’s regime that further inflames relations while providing them with little actual intelligence value. It should never have happened and we must work to make sure it never does again, » Kim said.
Representative Ritchie Torres of New York said he was « alarmed by reports from the Pentagon that defense officials have discovered and are actively tracking a suspected surveillance balloon over the northern United States that’s believed to belong to the Chinese Communist Party.
