NewsWorldThe US shot down the alleged Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean

The US shot down the alleged Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean

The relationship between the two powers is going through one of its rocky moments. Photo: AFP.

The US Armed Forces today shot down the alleged Chinese spy balloon that was flying over the country while it was over the Atlantic Ocean, official sources told CNN.

According to these sources, the president Joe Biden authorized the takedown. Shortly before, the president had told the press that he was going to “deal with” the balloon, while the Chinese authorities rejected the espionage accusations and assured that it was “a civil aircraft used for research purposes, mainly meteorological” that diverted from its original course “affected by winds”.

“On Wednesday, when I was informed of the balloon, I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down ASAP“President Joe Biden told reporters in Maryland.

“In order not to harm anyone on the ground, the experts decided that the best time to shoot it down was when it was passing over water…within a 12-mile limit. They successfully shot it down and I want to congratulate the airmen who did it.”Joe Biden

The president reported that the mission to shoot it down off the country’s east coast was successful and that he ordered the Pentagon to drop it when it was safe.

“In order not to harm anyone on the ground, the experts decided that the best time to shoot it down was when it was passing over water…within a 12-mile limit. They successfully shot it down and I want to congratulate the airmen who did it.” Biden said after the military operation on the coast near the town of Myrtle Beach, in the state of South Carolina, according to the CNN network.

The president of United States, had assured this Saturday that he was going to “deal” with the alleged Chinese spy balloon that is crossing the country, while the Chinese government once again rejected the accusations of espionage and affirmed that it “never violated the airspace of any sovereign country”.

“We are going to take care of it,” Biden had said from the city of Syracuse, in the northern state of New York, when asked by the press about the possibility of bringing down the Chinese balloon, CNN reported.

Since his sighting last Tuesday, Biden He was evaluating together with the military leadership what to do with the device. His advisers advised him not to demolish it because the remains could cause material or personal damage.

According to the models released by the agency, the balloon – prior to its demolition – would fly over the southeastern states of Kentucky and Tennessee before heading to the chain of islands that ends the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks, as its last destination. US.

The National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had informed this Saturday that the balloon would leave the United States territory “in the next few hours” through the east coast, while Beijing insisted that the balloon’s presence in the US is due to an accident and what is it about a civilian investigative apparatus.

According to the models released by the agency, the balloon – prior to its demolition – would fly over the southeastern states of Kentucky and Tennessee before heading to the chain of islands that ends the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks, as its last destination. US.

The Federal Aviation Administration, for its part, decided to suspend flights at three airports: Wilmington, located in North Carolina, and those of Charleston and Myrtle Beach, located in South Carolina.

In the surroundings of the last town, it was also decided to restrict flights between 12:45 and 14:45 local time (14:45 and 16:45 in Argentina) in an area of ​​more than 32,000 square kilometers as it is considered “national defense airspace.”

China reported that the balloon in question is for scientific purposes only Photo AFP
China reported that the balloon in question is for scientific purposes only. Photo: AFP.

“The Federal Aviation Administration stopped departures to the Wilmington (ILM), Myrtle Beach International (MYR) and Charleston International (CHS) airports to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort,” the agency had said in a statement. release. For its part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry argued that this chaotic situation is due to an event of “force majeure.”

“This situation has been completely unexpected.but the facts are very clear,” the ministry’s spokesman said in a statement, according to the Europa Press news agency.

Beijing claimed that it “never violated the airspace of any sovereign country” and accused US politicians and media of “exaggerating” the incident to “attack and discredit” the Asian giant.

The Pentagon announced on Thursday that it was monitoring a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was seen over US airspace, a discovery that comes at a time of high tension in relations between the two superpowers and which prompted the postponement of the visit to Beijing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

This Friday, when confirming the suspension of Blinken’s trip originally scheduled for this Sunday and Monday, the State Department indicated that “the presence of this balloon is a clear violation of our sovereignty, as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has happened”.

The Asian country reiterated this Saturday that “This is a civil aircraft used for research purposesmainly meteorological” that deviated from its original course “affected by the winds” and for having “limited self-steering capacity”.

He also claimed that bilateral relations should be “properly managed”, keeping “a cool head and prudence in unexpected situations.”

“Maintaining contact and communication at all levels is an important common understanding reached by the Chinese and US presidents at their Bali meeting,” Beijing said.recalling the meeting between Xi Jinping and Biden at the G20 summit in Indonesia.

This Friday, when confirming the suspension of Blinken’s trip originally scheduled for this Sunday and Monday, the State Department indicated that “the presence of this balloon is a clear violation of our sovereignty, as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has happened”.

The Pentagon does not believe that this device constitutes a major threat.
The Pentagon does not believe this device poses much of a threat.

According to US media, the device flew over the Aleutian Islands, in the north of the Pacific Ocean, and Canada before entering United States airspace. few days ago.

It then passed through the airspace of Montana (northwest of the country), where there are sensitive air bases and strategic nuclear missiles in underground silos, but the Pentagon does not believe that this device constitutes a great threat because “it has limited additive value from the perspective of the collection of intelligence (data).

The US Department of Defense later warned that detected the passage of a second Chinese spy balloon over Latin Americaalthough without specifying in which area.

These complaints come at a time of high tension in the relations of both superpowers, especially due to the situation in Taiwan, an island that the Asian giant considers part of its territory.

The trade war, the White House’s denunciations of human rights violations in China, Beijing’s support for North Korea and the geopolitical position on the invasion of Ukraine are other thorny issues in the relationship between the two main economies of the world

The confrontation increased after the visit made to the island last August by the then president of the US House of Representatives, the Democrat Nancy Pelosi, which later led to military maneuvers led by China.

On Thursday, CIA Director William Burns said President Xi had ordered the military to be “ready” to invade Taiwan in 2027.

Beijing’s response was not long in coming: “Washington must stop its interference in the Taiwan question and stop creating new factors that could lead to an increase in tension in the Straits”indicated the spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry at her press conference.

The trade war, the White House’s denunciations of human rights violations in China, Beijing’s support for North Korea and the geopolitical position on the invasion of Ukraine are other thorny issues in the relationship between the two main economies of the world.

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