China has bizarrely claimed that an alleged spy balloon spotted over the US is actually a Chinese “civilian airship” which had deviated from its planned route due to unexpected winds.
The Pentagon earlier confirmed it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon that appeared to be surveilling highly sensitive nuclear weapons sites.
“We know it’s a surveillance balloon,” Department of Defence press secretary, General Pat Ryder, told reporters on Friday.
“We did a very close assessment in terms of what it’s doing.
“It’s manoeuverable. It’s violating US airspace. It does not pose a risk to civilians on the ground.”
The object flew over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and through Canada before appearing over the city of Billings in Montana then travelling to the middle of the country, according to officials.
Montana is home to some of the US’s nuclear missile silos.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday scrapped a scheduled Beijing trip aimed at easing escalating tensions between the two global powers, after the Pentagon said that China sent a spy balloon over the US.
But moments before the decision, China issued a rare statement of regret, and claimed the balloon was used for “mainly meteorological” purposes.
China “regrets the unintended entry” of the balloon into US airspace, China’s foreign ministry claimed.
The Chinese statement said that the balloon had been blown off course by strong winds.
“Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course,” it continued.
“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure.”
At President Joe Biden’s request earlier in the week, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and top military officials considered shooting the balloon down but decided doing so would endanger too many people on the ground, a senior defence official told reporters.
“Clearly, the intent of this balloon is for surveillance, and the current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But the Pentagon did not believe it constituted a particularly dangerous intelligence threat.
“We assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective,” the official said.
The balloon entered US airspace “a couple days ago,” the official said, adding that US intelligence had been tracking it well before that.
After Mr Biden asked about the options for dealing with it, Mr Austin, who was in the Philippines, held discussions with top Pentagon officials on Wednesday.
Fighter jets were flown to examine the balloon while it was above Montana as discussions took place.
‘Seriousness’ of issue
But the Pentagon decision was “not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field,” the official said.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder confirmed the balloon was still being tracked over US airspace.
“The balloon is currently travelling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic. It does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground,” Ryder said.
China has sent surveillance balloons over the United States in the past. However, this one has lingered in US airspace much longer, the senior defence official said.
“We are taking steps nevertheless to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information,” the official said.
The balloon’s presence comes amid slowly simmering tensions between the United State and China over Taiwan.
China says it is determined one day to reunite the independently governed island with the mainland, by force if necessary.
But the United States has been arming Taiwan to defend itself, and Biden has said Washington would help protect Taiwan if China attacked.
Austin was in the Philippines this week to strengthen US defence co-operation, including gaining wider access for Pentagon forces to Philippine military bases, in a move that highlights the US view of China as a threat to East Asia.
The defence official said the issue of the balloon had been raised with Beijing officials.
“We have communicated to them the seriousness of the issue,” the official said.
“We have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people in our own land.”
– With AFP