Ashish Ranjan
Chinese Spy Balloon: The Pentagon reported on Friday that a Chinese spy balloon had been spotted over Latin America, a day after a similar craft had been spotted in US airspace, forcing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a rare trip to Beijing.
The first balloon, according to the Pentagon, is currently travelling east over the centre of the United States and is not being shot down for safety reasons.
Later on Friday, a balloon was reported to be passing through Latin America, according to Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder.
He continued, “We now assess it to be another Chinese spy balloon,” without mentioning where it was located specifically.
Moments before Blinken decided to postpone his trip in an effort to defuse tensions between the two nations, China apologised for the first balloon and attributed what it called a civilian airship’s entry into US airspace to winds.
However, the administration of President Joe Biden referred to it as a movable “surveillance balloon”.
🚨BREAKING: I’m calling for an investigation and demanding answers from the Biden Admin. on why a Chinese spy balloon was allowed to hover over critical military infrastructure in Missouri and across the interior of the U.S. without any intervention. pic.twitter.com/c25ZEGKpWC
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) February 3, 2023
Blinken postponed a two-day visit that was scheduled to begin on Sunday because the opposition Republican Party was already on the attack.
Blinken said that he “made plain that the presence of this surveillance balloon in US airspace is a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law, that it’s an irresponsible act” in a phone discussion with senior Chinese official Wang Yi.
However, according to Blinken, he informed Wang that “the United States is dedicated to diplomatic engagement with China and that I plan to visit Beijing when circumstances permit.”
“Getting the surveillance asset out of our airspace is the first step. That is our primary concern “Blinken informed the press.
However, according to Blinken, he informed Wang that “the United States is dedicated to diplomatic engagement with China and that I plan to visit Beijing when circumstances permit.”
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“Getting the surveillance asset out of our airspace is the first step. That is our primary concern “Blinken informed the press.
Wang reportedly said that the two talked about the event “in a calm and professional manner,” according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
According to Wang, who was quoted by Xinhua as saying to Blinken, “China is a responsible country and has always rigorously abided by international law.”
