US detects a second Chinese spy balloon: A Chinese spy balloon was sighted over Latin America, according to the Pentagon, one day after a similar device was spotted in US airspace, forcing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a rare trip to Beijing.
The Pentagon stated that the first balloon is traveling east over the center of the United States and they are not shooting it down for safety reasons.
A Pentagon spokesperson, Pat Ryder, reported that a balloon later passed through Latin America on Friday.
He continued, “We now assess it to be another Chinese surveillance balloon,” without mentioning where it was located specifically.
China apologized for the first balloon, attributing the incident to winds, just moments before Blinken decided to postpone his trip aimed at reducing tensions between the two nations.
However, the administration of President Joe Biden referred to it as a movable “surveillance balloon”.
Blinken postponed his two-day visit, set to begin on Sunday, due to the attack by the opposition Republican Party.
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.
Blink en’s Diplomatic Engagement with China and Statement on Surveillance Asset
Blinken reportedly conveyed to Wang that the United States is dedicated to diplomatic engagement with China and that he plans to visit Beijing when the conditions allow, according to Blinken himself.
“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 “calmly and professionally,” according to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Wang told Blinken, as quoted by Xinhua, that China is a responsible country that has always strictly followed international law.
He urged both sides to “avoid misjudgments and control divergence,” saying, “We do not accept any groundless conjecture and hoopla.”
An excuse to invade China
The Chinese foreign ministry responded to Blinken’s declaration that his trip would not proceed with a statement on Saturday.
It claimed that “certain American politicians and media outlets utilized the (balloon) event as a pretext to criticize and defame China.”
Regarding Blink en’s trip, which had received extensive media coverage in the US, the statement continued, “In actuality, neither China nor the US has announced any visit.
We accept the United States determination to make the pertinent material public.
Blinken would have been the highest-ranking US official to travel to China since October 2018, heralding a warming in relations after years of strained tension under the previous administration of Donald Trump.
Blinken declared last month that he would use the journey to assist set up “guardrails” to keep the relationship from degenerating into a full-blown fight.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers pounced on the balloon incident and quickly painted Biden as weak, even though he has mostly upheld and occasionally strengthened Trump’s aggressive policy on China.
“President Biden needs to quit pandering to and placating the communists in China. Bring the balloon down right away and take advantage of its technology, which might be a goldmine for intelligence, “Senator Tom Cotton, a well-known hardliner who had encouraged Blinken to cancel his trip, tweeted his support.
Trump reacted by saying, “Shoot down the balloon!” on his Truth Social platform.
“Force majeure,”
Beijing eventually acknowledged possession of the “airship” and claimed the wind was to blame for its detour.
“The airship originates in China. According to a representative of the foreign ministry, the civilian blimp serves primarily as a tool for meteorological research.
It used the legal word for an event beyond human control, “force majeure,” to describe the inadvertent arrival of the airship into US airspace.
Biden had requested military options, according to a US defense official, but the Pentagon refused because it thought firing the thing down would endanger those on the ground from falling debris.
According to the defense official, who spoke to the media under the condition of anonymity, the balloon offers “little added value from an intelligence collection viewpoint.”
Many believe that the United States spies on China using more sophisticated equipment than balloons.
The northwest of the country houses sensitive air bases and underground silos that store nuclear weapons.
Prepare for the worst
Japan and the US have signed a separate troop agreement. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Philippines this week. Austin agreed to increase the US military presence in the Philippines.
The actions indicate that the United States is preparing for a possible conflict over Taiwan, despite diplomatic efforts. Taiwan is an autonomous democracy that China claims as its own.
In November, Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met unexpectedly outside of a gathering in Bali. They decided to send Blinken to Beijing amicably.
Recently, a US military officer ordered his troops to prepare for war with China.
“I hope I’m mistaken. General Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, stated in a memo that “my gut tells me we will battle in 2025,” adding that the 2024 US elections would also “give Xi a distracted America.”