Today United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the country’s east coast. The US had claimed that the balloon was spying on sensitive military sites across North America.
On Saturday US shoot downed a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon first spotted above sensitive areas of Montana earlier in the week.
Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President (Joe) Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.
Statement of Lloyd Austin – Secretary of Defence
He wanted the balloon downed on Wednesday but was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.
Joe Biden – President of United States
Though China has denied any claims of spying and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised that the balloon’s journey was out of its control and urged the U.S. not to “smear” it because of the balloon.
However, The suspected Chinese spy balloon prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a visit to China this week that had been expected to start on Friday.
