The first details of the plane shot down in the Yukon on Saturday night emerged in a Pentagon memo sent to elected US officials Monday.
• Also read: Flying objects: “No evidence of extraterrestrial activity,” the White House assures
• Also read: Balloons shot down by American warplanes: Trudeau continues to defend the country’s ability to protect its skies
• Also read: Beijing accuses US balloons of violating its airspace
The object targeted by the US military was initially described as being cylindrical.
Now, a Pentagon memo obtained by CNN also calls it “a small metal balloon with a cargo attached to the bottom.”
We also learn that the equipment had passed very close to “sensitive” American locations before being shot down.
Four machines have been in the North American sky for more than a week. Allegations of espionage are now flying between Washington and Beijing.
Chinese media reported on Sunday that an unidentified flying object had been sighted off the country’s east coast and the military was preparing to shoot it down.
“In the past year alone, American balloons have flown overhead [le territoire de] China on more than ten occasions without permission,” said a spokesman for Chinese diplomacy Wang Wenbin.
Information heavily denied by the White House.
“We do not do that! That’s absolutely not true! “Banged over the airwaves from MSNBC yesterday, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council.
Tense diplomacy
In such a context, Canada might also be sharpening its tone on the diplomatic scene, according to a former senior executive at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
“It would be consistent with the policy announced last fall [Justin] Trudeau and his reorientation towards Indo-Asia instead of China,” says Michel Juneau-Katsuya.
However, Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China, mentions that caution is advised as only one object has been linked to Beijing.
“We have to make sure that these are actually Chinese balloons, because they could also be Russian balloons. We have to fix that,” he said.
Meanwhile, China-US relations may continue to get more complex.
“We should not conclude from this that all links are broken and that China and the United States are no longer speaking,” John Kirby assured yesterday.
– With AFP
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?