Biden Takes Charge: US to Deal with Chinese Spy Balloon-Feb 4, 2023
In recent days, a Chinese spy balloon has been spotted flying over the United States. President Joe Biden has promised that the United States will “take care of” the situation.
President Biden, who did not provide any additional information, is under enormous pressure at home to destroy the object termed as Chinese Spy Balloon
Due to the risk of debris falling on them, authorities warned against taking such a step.
As a result of this incident, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a trip to Beijing at a time when tensions were already high between the two countries.
It was “irresponsible,” according to Mr. Blinken, to have the “spy” balloon there. China, meanwhile, insists that the disagreement be handled with “cool heads,” claiming that it is merely a meteorological ship that has been blown off course.
The huge white balloon, reportedly a Chinese Spy Balloon, which was last seen over Missouri, will likely reach the Carolinas on the East Coast sometime this weekend.
On Friday, the United States reported seeing a second Chinese balloon in the tropics of South and Central America.
China has apologised for the incident and stated on Saturday that it has “never invaded the sovereignty and airspace of any sovereign country.”
The foreign ministry downplayed the cancellation of Mr. Blinken’s visit, saying in a statement that no one had made any such announcement.
It also claimed that “certain politicians and media in the United States” were using the incident “as an excuse to criticise and slander China,” and that Beijing “would not allow any groundless conjecture or exaggeration.”
U.S. officials said the balloon drifted across Alaska and Canada before appearing above Montana, where many key nuclear missile installations are located.
Mr. Blinken stated that he had informed Beijing that the balloon’s existence was “a blatant violation of US sovereignty and international law” and “an irresponsible move” on the eve of his travel to China, expressing the displeasure of top US authorities.
The United States’ top diplomat was scheduled to visit Beijing on February 5 and 6 to discuss a variety of problems, including security, Taiwan, and the Covid-19 summit. There hasn’t been a high-level US-China meeting at that location in years, so it would have been significant if it had happened.
As US defence officials revealed on Thursday that they were monitoring a massive surveillance balloon over the US, preparations began to unravel.
Even though the Pentagon has stated that the Chinese Spy Balloon looks like is “travelling at an altitude substantially above commercial air traffic” and “not presenting a military or physical threat to individuals on the ground,” its presence has nonetheless caused alarm.
On Friday, China admitted the balloon was theirs, calling it a civilian airship intended for meteorological research that veered off course due to severe weather.
Additionally, the Pentagon stated late on Friday that a second Chinese Spy balloon had been sighted, this time over Latin America. The sightings reportedly occurred over Costa Rica and Venezuela.
The Chinese government has said nothing publicly about the rumoured second balloon.
