However, it is still unknown where the objects came from and what their mission was. His remains have not yet been found. “The possibility that they are balloons simply attached to commercial or research facilities and therefore harmless is not ruled out,” said Kirby.
After the US military shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon on Feb. 4, three other unidentified flying objects have been pulled from the sky since Friday. One was shot down over Alaska, one over Canada and one over Lake Huron, which is part of the Great Lakes in the northern United States, bordering Canada.
IMAGO/Petty Officer 1st Class Kris Lin Retrieving the wreck is proving difficult – there are still unanswered questions
Spying Accusations Against China
The US has previously accused China of using balloons to run a surveillance program and target more than 40 countries. China rejects the allegations and speaks of an “overreaction” by the US. The downed balloon was a Chinese research balloon that went off course due to “force majeure”.
debate
US-China: How much does the balloon affair affect relations?
It is now unclear when there will be final information about the three mysterious flying objects that were shot down. It can be safely ruled out that these are US government objects, Kirby said.
hard search
Weather and geographic conditions made it difficult to locate the wreckage. One of the objects landed on Alaskan sea ice, another is at the bottom of Lake Huron. US Chief of Staff Mark Milley admitted on Tuesday that the first missile fired over Lake Huron on Sunday missed its target. “Yes, the first shot missed,” Milley told a news conference in Brussels.
The White House has now also provided an explanation for the culling on short notice. The North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) adjusted radar systems following the alleged Chinese spy balloon incident, director of communications Kirby said. The systems sensitivity has been increased to identify more slow, small and high flying objects.
“We learn from the rubble”
The US Navy has had more success than the three mystery flying objects in recovering the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon, which was shot down off the US Atlantic coast a week ago. Search teams managed to bring the first parts of the balloon from the bottom of the sea to the surface.
“We’re learning from the wreckage we’re pulling up from the bottom of the Atlantic,” said Kirby. He renewed his accusations against China: “It’s a concerted effort by the Chinese to use this particular type of platform for surveillance and intelligence gathering.”
Kirby emphasized that the downed balloon was not the first over American territory. There were at least three flights during former President Donald Trump’s tenure. At least one other balloon reportedly flew early in President Joe Biden’s term. The big difference to the downed balloon was that the previous ones had not flown over US airspace for so long.
Political scientist Heinisch talks about the US-China relationship
Political scientist and US expert Reinhard Heinisch comments on the diplomatic turnaround after the US shoots down a Chinese balloon.
Rumors of Chancellor’s Meeting
Amid the tense atmosphere between Beijing and Washington, rumors have surfaced of a possible meeting between China’s top foreign policy leader, Wang Yi, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, which starts on Friday. China has not confirmed such a meeting.
US media had previously reported that Blinken was considering such a meeting. It would be the first high-level meeting of the two countries’ top foreign politicians after Blinken canceled a planned short-term visit to China earlier this month over suspicions of a Chinese spy balloon over the United States.