- Joe Biden asked Lloyd Austin and senior military leaders to shoot the balloon down.
- China has already flown spy balloons above the United States.
- Lingered in US airspace for a substantially longer period of time.
Just days before a rare visit to Beijing by the top US ambassador, tensions between the two countries were rekindled when the Pentagon announced on Thursday that it was tracking a Chinese surveillance balloon flying high above the United States.
President Joe Biden asked Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and senior military leaders to shoot the balloon down, but they ultimately decided that doing so would put too many people on the ground at danger, a senior defence official told reporters on Thursday.
The officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that it is obvious that the purpose of the balloon is for surveillance.
The balloon had flown over important airbases and strategic nuclear missiles in underground silos in the northwest of the country, the official continued, but the Pentagon did not consider it to be a particularly severe intelligence threat.
From the standpoint of intelligence gathering, “we evaluate that this balloon has minimal added value,” the person stated.
The aircraft’s discovery comes only days before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is anticipated to visit China, with managing the escalating tensions between the two nations at the top of the agenda.
The top American diplomat will be travelling to Beijing for the first time since 2018, following a meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November on the fringes of the G20 summit.
Relations between the two nations have deteriorated in especially over democratically-governed Taiwan, which China has promised to reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary, in addition to continuous disagreements over trade and intellectual property.
In order for Taiwan to defend itself, the United States has been selling it armaments, and Biden has stated that if China invaded, Washington would assist in defending Taiwan.
The balloon entered US airspace “a couple days ago,” according to a defence official, although US intelligence had been monitoring it for a long time before that.
After Biden inquired about alternatives for handling the balloon, Austin, who was in the Philippines, met with top Pentagon officials on Wednesday.
While conversations were going on, fighter jets were flown to look at it while it was over Montana.
Seriousness of the problem
However, the official stated that the Pentagon had decided “not to take kinetic measures due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field.”
Pat Ryder, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, verified that the balloon was still being monitored over US airspace.
“At this time, the balloon is flying far above commercial air traffic. No military or physical threat is posed to anyone on the ground by it “In a statement, Ryder stated.
China has already flown spy balloons above the United States.
The senior defence official stated that this one, however, lingered in US airspace for a substantially longer period of time.
The person stated, “We are nonetheless taking precautions to guard against foreign intelligence gathering of critical material.”
In a move that emphasises the US assessment of China as a threat to East Asia, Austin was in the Philippines this week to deepen US defence cooperation, including seeking more access for Pentagon soldiers at Philippine military facilities.
The defence official claimed that Beijing officials had been informed of “the seriousness of the issue” with the balloon.
We have stated unequivocally that we will take all necessary steps to safeguard our people in their own country.
When Nancy Pelosi, the then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives, decided to visit the island last year, tensions over Taiwan erupted into a furor.
Since the Republicans took over the chamber in January, there have been doubts about whether her successor will travel in a similar manner.
President Biden cannot remain mute in the face of China’s flagrant disdain for American sovereignty, the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted on Thursday night.
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