The United States assured this Saturday that China has lied, saying that the “spy balloon” that has flown over the country in recent days, shot down this Saturday, was a meteorological device and described the fact as “an intolerable violation” of American sovereignty.
“The balloon never sent military or physical threats to the American people but their intrusion into our airspace for several days was an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” a senior Defense Department official said in a conversation with the media.
The Pentagon announced this past Thursday that it was following the movements of a Chinese “spy balloon” that was flying over the state of Montana (northeast US), where it is located. one of three missile silo fields nuclear power plants on US soil.
China admitted on Friday that the balloon belongs to it, although it assured that “it is a civil airship used for research purposes, mainly meteorological.
“We spoke directly to Chinese officials through multiple channels, but instead of addressing their intrusion into our airspace, the people’s republic of china gave an explanation that lacked credibility,” the official said.
Instead of addressing its intrusion into our airspace, the PRC gave an explanation that lacked credibility.
The United States, he added, is certain the balloon was “seeking to monitor sensitive military sites.” “His route over the United States, near many potentially sensitive sites, contradicts the PRC government’s explanation,” the official added, explaining that this “is not the only PRC surveillance balloon operating in the Western Hemisphere.”
In fact, he recalled, it has been observed that there is a balloon transiting through Central America and South Americawhich “is another surveillance balloon” Chinese.
All these balloons “are part of a fleet of PRC balloons, developed to conduct surveillance operationswhich have also violated the sovereignty of other countries”, an activity that is carried out “under the direction of the People’s Liberation Army”.
The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austinconfirmed this Saturday that the United States, by an order given by President Joe Biden last Wednesday, has “successfully” shot down the Chinese “spy balloon” with two military aircraft at sea, off the coast of South Carolina.
“We have notified the People’s Republic of China about our action and we are informing allies and partners,” said the Defense source, who explained that the remains of the balloon and the devices it carried are being collected for study.
In fact, he assured, the decision to wait a few days to shoot it down into the sea, in addition to being necessary to protect the citizens who inhabit the area, “it was beneficial” to learn more about the device and its purposes.
