China has refused to deny it owns the spy balloon being tracked over sensitive military terrain in Montana and told US officials to remain calm after it emerged that Canada was reporting a “potential second incident” related to the device examined.
Calls for decisive US action on Friday grew louder, with former President Donald Trump writing on his platform Truth Social: “SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!”
US officials said they are confident the balloon seen over the US belongs to China, but China’s foreign ministry has pressed against speculation while conducting investigations.
The balloon – which is the size of three buses – was spotted earlier this week and recently crossed Montana airspace, sparking fears it could be monitoring nuclear facilities there. President Joe Biden reportedly wanted to crash the balloon but was dissuaded from doing so by military officials over safety concerns.
Mao Ning, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said: “Until the facts are clear, speculating and exaggerating the problem will not help to solve it properly.
A U.S. defense official said the balloon was the size of several buses — but it posed no immediate threat to Americans. The balloon, pictured over Montana, was tracked for several days but officials decided to use it for fear of debris not shoot down
“China is a responsible country and always strictly abides by international law. We have no intention of violating the territory or airspace of any sovereign country.’
On Thursday night, Canada said it was also “actively” tracking an “altitude surveillance balloon,” and officials were working to determine if it is the same one the Pentagon spotted over the continental United States.
Montana Senator Steve Daines fears the Chinese spy balloon hovering over the state was targeting nuclear missile fields installed there.
US officials said they took the balloon into “custody”. They believe the balloon has “limited added value from an information gathering perspective.”
The balloon was spotted days ahead of a planned trip by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing, which is due to begin on Sunday. Republican senators have urged Blinken to cancel the trip agreed by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In a statement Thursday, the Canadian government said: “A high-altitude surveillance balloon has been spotted and its movements are being actively tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
“Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the safety of its airspace, including monitoring for a possible second incident.
“NORAD, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of Defense and other partners have been assessing and closely coordinating the situation.
“Canada’s intelligence agencies are working with American partners and continue to take all necessary measures to protect Canada’s sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats.
“We remain in constant contact with our American allies as the situation evolves.”
The balloon was spotted days ahead of a scheduled key meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping
The balloon flew over the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific and then crossed Canadian airspace to the United States. Canada monitors a ‘potential second incident’
US Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising.
“The level of espionage directed at our country by Beijing has become dramatically more intense and brazen over the past five years,” Rubio said on Twitter.
Republican Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton said, “President Biden should stop coddling and placating the Chinese Communists. Bring the balloon down now and make use of its tech pack which could be a gold mine for intelligence agencies.
“And President Biden and Secretary of State Austin have to answer whether this balloon was spotted over Alaskan airspace. If so, why didn’t we take it there? If no, why not?
As usual, the Chinese Communists’ provocations were met with weakness and hand-wringing.’
The discovery has put the militaries and intelligence agencies of the United States and Canada on high alert.
F-22 fighter jets were mobilized to pursue the device as it flew over Montana on the border with Canada on Wednesday.
A US defense official said it entered US airspace “a few days ago,” but its exact location was not shared.
China is supposed to fly a surveillance balloon over the USA, Joe Biden (left) wanted to shoot it down. Pictured at right is President Xi Jinping
The balloon flew over the vast state of Montana, which borders Canada, and at an altitude well above commercial air traffic.
Before that, its route was traced across the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific, then through Canadian airspace to the United States.
A US official said the balloon was the size of three buses.
“There have been reports of pilots seeing this thing even though it’s quite high in the sky,” the official added.
“Well, you know, it’s considerable.”
A senior Pentagon official said the United States had “very high confidence” that the balloon was a Chinese one.
“We have no doubt that this is a PRC balloon,” the official said, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
China said it was working to verify the US claim.
The balloon is big enough that destroying it would rain down debris and endanger the safety of people on the ground, US officials said, adding: “Does it pose a threat to civil aviation?” Our assessment is that this is not the case. Does it pose a significantly increased threat on the intelligence side? Our current best assessment is that this is not the case.’
The news first broke when CIA Director William Burns spoke at an event at Georgetown University in Washington, where he called China the “greatest geopolitical challenge” facing the United States.