U.S. officials were aware of the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina from the minute it took off, according to sources on Tuesday, prompting questions as to why it was not taken down earlier.
The balloon left Hainan Island in southern China at the end of January and reached U.S. airspace above Alaska on January 28. It briefly entered Canada and re-entered U.S. territory over northern Idaho on January 30, the day the White House claims Biden was first briefed on the incident.
The balloon toured the United States, flying over several critical locations, before being shot down as soon as it reached the ocean.
The Pentagon stated that shooting down over land was too dangerous.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the balloon was observed from the minute it lifted off.
The paper reported that in an indication of how closely the United States had been monitoring the balloon surveillance program directed by the Chinese military, U.S. officials said in interviews that they began tracking the spy balloon as it took off from Hainan Island in southern China in late January.
Republicans have wanted to know why it was not shot down earlier, and the report released on Tuesday will only increase their volume.
The balloon was hit by a missile from an F-22 fighter near Myrtle Beach, captivating skywatchers across the Grand Strand, a populated area famed for its miles of beaches that attract retirees and tourists.
According to a story from the Washington Post, the airship that sparked a dramatic – and very public – spying scandal that deteriorated Sino-American relations has been an integral element of Beijing’s intelligence operations for years.
According to the study, the Chinese military has already sent balloons into the airspace of geopolitical competitors including Japan, India, and the Philippines.
Prior to this, the Pentagon stated that at least four more balloons had been identified over US airspace in Hawaii, Florida, Texas, and Guam, three of which occurred during the administration of Donald Trump.
More balloons were shot down above Alaska, the Canadian province of Yukon, and Lake Huron over the weekend.
Due to the balloon, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken postponed his trip to China hours before he was scheduled to depart.
Meanwhile, China’s defense minister rebuffed US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s offer to address the events.
In a statement, the Pentagon stated, “Lines between our militaries are particularly important in times like these.” The PRC has unfortunately denied our request. Politico writes that our commitment to open channels of communication will remain.
A senior official told the Post that China’s airship program is a “massive effort” inside the nation’s spy programs.
The program is headquartered in the Yulin Naval Base on China’s southern Hainan Island.
A Japanese official informed the newspaper that in the year 2020, a large sphere was sighted over the country, which many people believed to be an extraterrestrial craft.
This official stated, “People are discovering in retrospect that it was a Chinese espionage instrument. But at the time, it was very novel; nobody had ever seen it before.’
Officials from the intelligence community are unable to estimate how many spy balloons the Chinese military possesses.
According to the Post, an official did use the word “dozens” when asked about the number of sightings in recent years.
In June of 2022, a newspaper said, a spy balloon crashed in Hawaii.
As a result, the United States military was able to obtain critical intelligence regarding Chinese military technologies.
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Charlie ‘Tuna’ Moore, speaking on the advantages of utilizing a balloon for spying purposes as opposed to more advanced technology, stated, “If you have a balloon that’s moving extremely slowly, you have persistence that you can’t get from a satellite.”
Moore said that satellites often have only seconds to capture images of their targets.
Last week, Biden officials briefed ambassadors from 40 countries in Washington and Beijing about the balloon.
An official stated that Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman briefed roughly 150 foreign diplomats from 40 embassies on February 6, while the U.S. embassy in Beijing assembled foreign diplomats on February 6 and 7 to present U.S. balloon findings.
The senior administration official stated, “We want to ensure that we share as much as possible with countries around the world that may also be susceptible to these types of operations.”
China stated that a weather balloon had drifted into U.S. airspace and that it was a “unexpected, isolated incident.”
It criticized the downing and accused the U.S. of overreacting.
The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, “The United States’ insistence on using armed force is manifestly an exaggeration that violates international norms.”
Beijing warned that it “reserved the right to take additional measures in response”
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