Diplomatic rift widens as US discovers sensors from Chinese spy balloon

The White House stated on Tuesday it was nonetheless looking for particles from the latest, unmanned objects, and had not seen any indication they had been a part of China’s spy program.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 15, 2023 07:58 IST

US army says it finds sensors from Chinese balloon (Photo: File/Reuters)

By Reuters: A diplomatic rift between China and the United States deepened on Tuesday with Beijing accusing Washington of flying high-altitude balloons into its airspace and that of different nations, because the U.S. army examined particles of a suspected Chinese spy balloon it downed this month.

The Chinese balloon, which Beijing denies was a spy vessel, spent every week flying over the United States and Canada earlier than President Joe Biden ordered it shot on Feb. 4. The U.S. army has since carried out three extra shootdowns because it combs the skies for objects that weren’t being captured by radar.

The White House stated on Tuesday it was nonetheless looking for particles from the latest, unmanned objects, and had not seen any indication they had been a part of China’s spy program. But they uncovered Washington’s heightened sense of alert because the standoff over the balloon delays efforts to reset bilateral relations.

China says the balloon shot down on Feb. 4 was a civilian weather-monitoring plane. Beijing has accused Washington of sending its personal balloons into Chinese airspace, and on Tuesday alleged these objects had flown above different nations as nicely.

U.S. balloons “flew around the world and illegally entered the airspaces of China and other relevant countries at least ten times” since May 2022, Chinese international ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated, with out offering particulars or proof.

ALSO READ | Top US, China diplomats weigh first assembly since ‘spy’ balloon saga

China asserts quite a few disputed territorial claims, together with Taiwan and components of the East and South China Seas, the place the U.S. army says it routinely operates based on worldwide legislation.

The White House has disputed China’s allegations. Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, tweeted on Monday: “Any claim that the US government operates surveillance balloons over the PRC is false.”

Washington has imposed sanctions on six Chinese entities it says are tied to the balloon, an motion which drew criticism from Beijing on Tuesday. But there are some indicators the 2 nations are nonetheless in search of to inject stability into turbulent relations.

Biden, who has repeatedly vowed to guard U.S. airspace and criticized China over the balloon, has additionally stated that he doesn’t imagine relations between the 2 nations had been weakened by the incident.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who postponed a deliberate journey to Beijing over the balloon, is contemplating assembly China’s high diplomat Wang Yi in Munich this week, sources stated.

‘COMMERCIAL OR BENIGN PURPOSE’

The U.S. army stated on Monday it had recovered vital electronics from the suspected Chinese spy balloon in addition to massive sections of the vessel itself.

ALSO READ | US recovers key sensors from web site of downed Chinese spy balloon | Top developments

But it has not but recovered particles from the latest three objects shot down, with robust climate circumstances making restoration operations tough.

White House spokesperson John Kirby informed reporters on Tuesday that no group or particular person has claimed the three objects, and that the U.S. intelligence neighborhood believes they may very well be “tied to some commercial or benign purpose.”

The objects embody an object downed over sea ice close to Deadhorse, Alaska, one introduced down over Canada’s Yukon and a 3rd shot down over Lake Huron.

Demonstrating the problem of taking down the three objects, the highest U.S. basic, Mark Milley, stated the primary of two missiles fired from an F-16 fighter jet on the object over Lake Huron on Sunday missed the item, however landed harmlessly within the water.

“We certainly tracked it all the way down,” Milley informed a information convention in Brussels on Tuesday.

Top U.S. protection and army officers held a categorized briefing for U.S. senators on the Capitol on Tuesday. Republican senators urged Biden, a Democrat, to publicly share extra details about the objects.

“Ninety-five percent of what was discussed in that room today can be made public without compromising the security of this country,” Republican Senator Marco Rubio stated after the briefing.

ALSO READ | US high-altitude balloons flew over our airspace 10 occasions since final yr, says China

Published On:

Feb 15, 2023