Washington: The US is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been seen in US airspace for days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down over concerns it could hurt people on the ground, officials said on Thursday. Said. The discovery of the balloon puts further strain on US-China relations at a time of heightened tensions.
A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the US has “very high confidence” that it was a Chinese high-altitude balloon and was flying over sensitive sites to gather information. One of the locations the balloon was spotted was in Montana, which is home to one of the nation’s three nuclear missile silo areas at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
Brig. Pentagon Press Secretary General Patrick Ryder provided a brief statement on the issue, saying that the government is continuing to track the balloon. He added that it is “currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”
He said that similar balloon activity has been observed in the last several years. He said the US took steps to ensure it did not collect sensitive information.
A senior administration official, who was also not authorized to discuss sensitive information publicly, said President Joe Biden was briefed and asked the military to present alternatives. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark Milley advised against taking “dynamic action” because of the risk to the safety of people on the ground. Biden accepted that recommendation.
The defense official said that the US spoke to Chinese officials through several channels and explained the seriousness of the matter.
The incident comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to make his first trip to Beijing later this week, expected to try to find some common ground. Although the visit has not been formally announced, both Beijing and Washington are talking of his imminent arrival.
It was not immediately clear whether the discovery of the balloons would affect Blinken’s travel plans.
China said on Friday it was investigating claims that the object was a Chinese spy satellite flying over US airspace and urged calm.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning also said she had no information about the proposed visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“China is a responsible country and has always strictly followed international laws, and China has no intention of violating any sovereign countries’ territory and airspace. For the balloon, as I just mentioned, we are observing and verifying the situation and hope that both sides can handle it together calmly and carefully,” Mao said at a daily briefing.
Mao said that politicians and the public should hold off on judgment “before they have a clear understanding of the facts”.
Blinken’s arrival comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Beijing and Washington over trade, Taiwan, human rights and China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.
“What I want to emphasize is that before we have a clear understanding of the facts, speculation and sensationalism will be unhelpful for the proper handling of the issue. As far as Blinken’s visit to China is concerned, I have no information.” Is.’
A senior US defense official said the US had fighter jets including F-22s ready to shoot down the balloon if the White House gave the order. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against it, noting that even if the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough to put people at risk.
It was not clear what the military was doing to prevent the sensitive information being collected or what would happen to the balloon if it was not shot down.
In a letter sent to Austin on Thursday, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, wrote: “The fact that this balloon was occupying Montana airspace raises significant concerns that Malmstrom Air Force Base and the United States This intelligence-gathering mission is on US intercontinental ballistic missile field targets. … It is critical to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised US national security assets, and all telecommunications or IT infrastructure on the ground within the US Which was being used by this spy balloon.
The spy balloon was trying to fly over the Montana missile fields, a defense official said, but the US has assessed it has “limited” value in providing intelligence on China, which is already gathering information via spy satellites. could not be collected from through other means.
The official did not specify the size of the balloon, but said it was large enough that commercial pilots could see it, despite its height. All air traffic at Billings Logan International Airport in Montana was halted from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., as the military provided alternatives to the White House.
A large white balloon was photographed over the area by The Billings Gazette, but the Pentagon would not confirm whether it was a surveillance balloon. Gazetted photographer Larry Meyer said the balloon could be seen drifting in and out of the clouds and appeared to be a solar array hanging from below.
The defense official said what concerned them about the launch was the height at which the balloon was flying and for how long it stayed at a location, without giving any details.
Greg Gianforte said he was informed of the situation on Wednesday, when the Montana National Guard was notified of an ongoing military operation in Montana airspace, according to a statement by Republican governor and spokeswoman Brooke Stroyke. .
In a statement, Gianforte said, “From spy balloons to the Chinese Communist Party spying on Americans via TikTok to CCP-affiliated companies buying up American agricultural land, I am aware of a constant stream of developments dangerous to our national security.” I am very upset.”
The administration official said that the staff of the Congress leaders was informed about the matter on Thursday afternoon. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tweeted, “China’s brazen disregard for American sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed.”
Tensions with China are particularly high over a range of issues from Taiwan and the South China Sea to human rights in China’s western Xinjiang region and a crackdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong. China’s tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea’s refusal to rein in its growing ballistic missile program and ongoing disputes over trade and technology are not the least of that list of irritants.
On Tuesday, Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations of 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that Beijing accused of destabilizing and intimidating the self-governing island democracy. are part of the strategy.
Twenty of those planes crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait, which has long been an unofficial buffer zone between the two sides, which were separated in 1949 during a civil war.
Beijing has also increased preparations for a possible blockade or military action against Taiwan, prompting growing concern among military leaders, diplomats and elected officials in the US, Taiwan’s main ally.
The surveillance balloon was first reported by NBC News.
Some Montana residents reported seeing an unusual object in the sky around the time of the airport’s closure on Wednesday, but it’s unclear whether what they saw was a balloon.
From an office window in Billings, Chase Dock said he saw “a big white circle in the sky”, which he said was too small to be the Moon.
He took a few pictures, then ran home to get a camera with a stronger lens and took more pictures and videos. He could see it for about 45 minutes and it appeared stationary, but Doak said the video suggested it was moving slowly.
“I thought maybe it was a legitimate UFO,” he said. “So I wanted to make sure I documented it and took as many pictures as I could.”
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