Pentagon

• Beijing condemned the Pentagon’s decision.
• China expresses strong dissatisfaction and protests against the use of force.
• The surveillance balloon was being brought down by a missile fired from an F-22 jet.

China: Beijing on Sunday condemned the Pentagon’s decision to fire down an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon observed floating over North America, accusing the United States of “clearly overreacting and seriously violating international practice”.

“China expresses strong dissatisfaction and protests against the use of force by the United States to attack the unmanned civilian airship,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it would “reserve the right to make further necessary responses”.

The plane flew over North America for many days, heightening tensions between Washington and Beijing, before being brought down by a missile fired from an F-22 jet on Saturday, according to Pentagon officials.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called the operation a “deliberate and lawful action” that came in response to China’s “unacceptable violation of our sovereignty”.

American officials first said on Thursday that they were tracking a large Chinese “surveillance balloon” in US skies.

After some hesitation, Beijing accepted ownership of the “airship,” but claimed it was a meteorological balloon that had been disoriented.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Sunday said it had “clearly demanded that the United States properly manage the problem in a calm, professional, and restrained manner”.

The US “insisted on deploying force, manifestly overreacting and significantly breaking international practice,” according to Beijing.

“China will resolutely safeguard the lawful rights and interests of relevant firms and retain the right to take any additional necessary actions,” the ministry stated in its statement.

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• Chinese spy balloon is now flying eastward at about 60,000 feet (18,300 meters) over the central United States.
• China’s claim that the balloon was only a civilian airship.
• The Pentagon anticipates the balloon to remain in US airspace for a few more days.

Washington: The US military said on Friday that a Chinese spy balloon has changed course and is now flying eastward at about 60,000 feet (18,300 meters) over the central United States, demonstrating maneuverability, in the latest twist in a spying saga that has forced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a visit to China.

The disclosure concerning the agility of the surveillance balloon directly contradicts China’s claim that the balloon was only a civilian airship that had wandered into US territory after being blown off course.

“We know this is a Chinese (surveillance) balloon and that it has the ability to maneuver,” Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing at the Pentagon, declining to say precisely how it was powered or who in China was controlling its flight path.

According to American officials, US President Joe Biden decided against firing down the balloon as it soared over Montana on Wednesday due to military worries about the anticipated distribution of debris.

The Pentagon anticipates the balloon to remain in US airspace for a few more days, according to Ryder, who declined to speculate on what alternatives the US military might develop during that time, as speculation circulated about whether Biden could still order the balloon to be destroyed or captured.

Ryder claimed the US military would not disclose where the balloon was over the central United States, citing a desire to avoid an “hour-by-hour” cycle of updates. People in any individual U.S. state, he continued, could stare up into the sky if they chose to.

“The public certainly has the ability to look up in the sky and see where the balloon is,” Ryder said.

Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas stated the spy balloon was over his state’s northeastern region and that his team was in contact with law enforcement personnel.

“I condemn any attempts the Chinese make to spy on Americans. President Biden must protect the sovereignty of the U.S.,” Marshall posted on Twitter.

Ryder went on to say that the balloon presented no danger to persons on the ground.

He commented as political ramifications from the Chinese balloon’s presence over the United States grew.

The cancellation of Blinken’s trip, which was coordinated in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, is a setback for those on both sides who saw it as a long-overdue opportunity to repair an increasingly strained relationship. The last time a US secretary of state visited was in 2017.

When speaking about the economy on Friday morning, Biden avoided queries about the balloon.

Chinese spy satellites have identical sensors to what US officials suspect is on the spy balloon, raising doubts about why Beijing would undertake such a bold gesture on the day of a significant diplomatic event.

Officials say the Chinese spy balloon has picked a flight path that will take it over a number of important facilities. Military bases, such as those in Montana, which house intercontinental ballistic missile silos, could be one such location.

The airport near Billings, Montana, issued a ground stop on Wednesday as the military mobilized assets, including F-22 fighter jets, in case Biden ordered the balloon to be shot down.

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