US Secretary of State to Chinese counterpart over “spy balloon”: “Irresponsible act” | Abroad

It would be a balloon with limited self-control ability, which has seriously deviated from the planned route, under the influence of the westerly winds. The Chinese foreign ministry also said in a statement that it will remain in contact with the United States to properly handle the unexpected situation.

The Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, has been tracking the Chinese balloon for several days. The mysterious object recently entered US airspace via Canada. “It is clearly a spy balloon and its trajectory is currently taking it over sensitive sites”, especially nuclear silos, said an anonymous official. The balloon is currently said to be over the state of Montana, in the western US. Malmstrom Air Base is also located there. From that ‘doomsday’ base, the Americans can fire intercontinental ballistic missiles.

READ ALSO “US military is not ready for war with China,” warns former general

Former President Donald Trump also spoke out. He sent a clear message to the world: “SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!”, he posted on the social network Truth Social.

Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, has postponed his visit to China in response to this incident. Blinken was supposed to fly to Beijing on Sunday to ease tensions between the two countries, but according to ABC News, plans have now been changed. A US official says that the minister does not want his decision to make the news bigger than it is, nor does the balloon overshadow the entire trip.

Blinken would come to the Chinese capital to talk about the diplomatic and economic rivalry between the two superpowers. He would be the first US foreign minister to visit Beijing since 2018. It is not yet known how long he has postponed the trip.

Antony Blinken has already had telephone contact with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi about his decision to postpone his trip to China. Blinken denounced an “irresponsible act”. “The minister has noted China’s regret but said it is an irresponsible act and a clear violation of United States sovereignty that undermines the purpose of his trip,” the ministry spokesman said.

In the phone call, the US Secretary of State explained to Wang Yi that because of this incident, it “would not be beneficial to go to Beijing at this time”, but stressed that the US “wants to keep the lines of communication open” and that he can travel to China as soon as “circumstances permit”.

The United Nations warns of further rising tensions between the two superpowers. Given the global leadership of both countries, it is up to them to make every effort to resolve the situation, a UN spokesperson in New York responded.

The same balloon has already passed through Canada, the neighboring country of the United States. The Canadians would not have been in any danger at any time, the Canadian Ministry of National Defense assures. The government is taking steps to ensure the safety of its airspace, including monitoring a possible second incident.

“Canada’s intelligence agencies are working with U.S. partners and continue to take all necessary measures to protect Canada’s sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats,” said a spokesman for the Department of National Defense.

Many details of the incident are also still unclear to the Canadians. For example, they have no insight into when and where the balloon is believed to have entered Canadian airspace.

LOOK. China investigates and controls flying balloon over US

Earlier, Mao Ning, the spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said that they would “investigate and monitor” the situation. During the press conference, it was emphasized that “speculation and sensationalism do not help the problem”. It was also assured that China is a “responsible country” and they “always strictly adhere to international laws”. “China has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of sovereign countries,” the spokesman said.

LOOK. “US chooses not to shoot down balloon to higher risk”

At the request of President Joe Biden, the Pentagon has investigated whether they can shoot down the balloon. F22 fighter jets were launched, but in the end it was decided not to fire because of the potential risk of falling debris for the residents of Montana.