The Balloon of China’s Wishes Blew Away Blinken’s Trip
Blinken Calls China’s Spy Balloon an Irresponsible Act
The Balloon of China’s Wishes Blew Away Blinken’s Trip: According to Iran Gate, American media, citing the country’s defense officials, reported that the Pentagon is tracking and monitoring a Chinese reconnaissance balloon over the American continent. The sighting of this suspicious balloon occurred a few days before the planned trip of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing.
A U.S. government official emphasized that the trip has been postponed and further stated that currently, a trip to Beijing would not be constructive, but the Secretary of State intends to visit China at the earliest opportunity.
An Irresponsible Act by China
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called China’s dispatch of a spy balloon over the United States irresponsible. This was announced by the State Department, referring to a conversation between Blinken and Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister.
In a press conference with the South Korean Foreign Minister in Washington, Blinken said that the flight of China’s spy balloon in U.S. skies is a violation of American sovereignty and international law. Blinken reiterated that he has postponed his trip to Beijing and described the conditions as unfavorable for the trip. He further stated that communication channels with China remain open.
The U.S. Secretary of State, without providing details on how this incident occurred, said our priority now is to remove the Chinese spy balloon from U.S. skies. This incident is one of Beijing’s most aggressive intelligence-gathering maneuvers in recent years.
Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said the U.S. has identified and is monitoring a high-altitude spy balloon currently over the U.S. continent. We will continue to closely track and monitor it. He continued, after identifying the balloon, the U.S. government quickly made necessary and essential decisions and actions to protect itself from the collection of sensitive information.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and other senior defense officials informed Joe Biden on Wednesday about the balloon sighting over U.S. territory. American officials said the President ordered the shooting down of this high-flying balloon, which was observed and reported by civilians on a commercial airline, but the Pentagon opposed this action due to fears of civilian casualties.
Following this news, the Canadian government also reported a similar case and said it is monitoring a high-altitude spy balloon. The Ministry of Defense stated that Canadians are safe and the Canadian government is taking necessary actions to ensure the safety of its airspace, including monitoring the potential fall of this balloon or the occurrence of an air incident.
The Chinese Foreign Minister says the balloon discovered over the United States, which some claim is a spy balloon, was launched for non-military purposes for meteorological and scientific research and is actually a weather balloon that has veered off course.