Second Chinese ‘surveillance’ balloon transiting Latin America

A Chinese spy balloon was flying over Latin America, the Pentagon has mentioned, sooner or later after an identical craft was seen over US skies that China described as a “force majeure accident”.

“We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America,” Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder mentioned in a Friday assertion, with out specifying the balloon’s precise location. 

“We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon.”

The balloon doesn’t seem like presently heading to the United States, CNN reported citing a US official.

It comes a day after an enormous, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed throughout the US, drawing extreme Pentagon accusations of spying regardless of China’s agency denials and forcing Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a high-stakes Beijing journey aimed toward easing US-China tensions.

Blinken’s cancellation got here regardless of China’s declare that the balloon was merely a climate analysis “airship” that had blown off beam.

The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — in addition to China’s rivalry that the balloon, in regards to the dimension of two college buses, was not getting used for surveillance and had solely restricted navigational capability.

China’s Foreign Ministry mentioned early on Saturday that flight of a Chinese “airship” over the US was a drive majeure accident, accusing US politicians and media of making the most of the state of affairs to discredit China.

“China has always strictly abided by international law and respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries,” the ministry mentioned in an announcement.

The balloon was detected over delicate army websites in Montana however had moved eastward over the heartland of the central United States by noon and was anticipated to stay in US airspace for a number of days, officers mentioned.

On Friday, Pentagon mentioned the balloon had modified course and was floating eastward at about 60,000 toes above the central United States and demonstrating a functionality to maneuver. It mentioned the balloon would possible be over the nation for a number of extra days.

READ MORE: Blinken scraps Beijing journey as ‘spy balloon’ soars throughout US

China watchers on balloon in US airspace 

In indicators poured over by watchers of China coverage, Beijing issued an uncommon assertion of remorse over the airspace incident, though it insisted it was a civilian meteorological unit that went astray.

Yun Sun, director of the China programme on the Stimson Center, mentioned that some theorised that the balloon was despatched as sabotage by an opponent of higher US relations.

She dismissed the thought, noting that Xi himself was anticipated to satisfy Blinken.

“I think that’s why Blinken’s visit had been attached a high level of importance in China, because they actually want to work with the Americans to improve relations, especially given the Chinese priority is in economic recovery,” she mentioned.

But Matthew Kroenig, a former defence official now on the Atlantic Council, mentioned the episode may mark a harmful escalation — a newfound curiosity by China in US nuclear weapons, lots of that are saved in silos in distant western areas of the United States.

Contrary to Pentagon assessments of low intelligence worth, China is unlikely to take such danger with out seeing advantages, he mentioned.

“In fact, it gave Beijing the ability to better map US intercontinental ballistic missile silos for future targeting and to gauge the US response,” he mentioned.

The effort might point out that China is shifting its doctrine to a objective of eliminating US nuclear weapons in strikes within the occasion of conflict, Kroenig mentioned.

READ MORE:
Canada monitoring ‘potential second incident’ linked to spy balloon

Source: AFP