Fury grows against Chinese spy balloon spotted floating over US soil

The US has erupted after a Chinese spy balloon was spotted floating over the nation, leading to a typically American response.

A high-altitude Chinese balloon sailing across the US sparked accusations from the Pentagon that Beijing was spying on sensitive military sites, despite firm denials from China.

The event caused Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a crucial trip to Beijing to ease US-China tensions.

Social media was filled with videos of people searching for the “spy balloon” as it travelled south-eastward over Kansas and Missouri at 18,288 metres.

The Pentagon later confirmed reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America, stating that it was also a Chinese surveillance balloon.

The US had been tracking the balloon since at least Tuesday, when President Joe Biden was first informed.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has so far warned against shooting down the balloon. Picture: Olivier Douliery

According to three US officials, Biden was reportedly initially inclined to order the balloon to be shot down, and the US had prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to do so if requested.

However, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, strongly advised against it, warning that the balloon’s size and weight could create a debris field that would endanger Americans on the ground.

The Pentagon also assessed that the possibility of the balloon uncovering important information was not great after unspecified US measures.

China claimed that the balloon was a weather research “airship” that had gone off course, but the Pentagon rejected this claim, along with China’s assertion that the balloon was not being used for surveillance and only had limited navigational ability.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing regret for the unintended entry of a civilian airship into US airspace. According to the statement, China claims the airship is used primarily for meteorological research, had limited self-steering capabilities and deviated from its planned course due to winds.

The statement cited “force majeure” as the reason for the unintended entry.

Weather experts supported China’s explanation, while the US State Department reported that Blinken and Wendy Sherman, the Deputy Secretary of State, had protested to the top official at the Chinese Embassy a day before the Pentagon’s announcement of the discovery.

The Pentagon has yet to make a move on the balloon. Picture: Eva Hambach/AFP

The statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry read: “The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure”.

Blinken told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over to the US was “an irresponsible act” and that China’s decision to do so was “detrimental to the substantive discussions” they were prepared to have.

The development dealt a new blow to already strained US-China relations, but US officials maintained that diplomatic channels remain open.

President Biden has so far declined to comment on the matter, but two potential 2024 re-election challengers, former President Donald Trump, and former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, said the US should shoot down the balloon immediately.

“Shoot down the balloon,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social.

Several Republican congressmen echoed the same sentiment and criticised the administration for “allowing” the balloon intrusion.

Republican Congressman Byron Donalds said: “The Chinese Spy Balloon has violated our airspace and international law.”

A Chinese surveillance balloon has been spotted hovering over the northern US, a Pentagon official said on Thursday. Picture: KFBB

The suspected Chinese spy balloon in the sky over Billings, Montana. The Pentagon said it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon flying high over the United States, reviving tensions between the two countries just days ahead of a rare visit to Beijing by the top US diplomat. Picture: AFP

“It’s already flown over some of the least densely-populated states in our nation with more in its path.

“Now the department of defence says it’s heading east towards our nation’s biggest population centres. When will the admin take action?”

Newly-elected republican senator for Missouri, Eric Schmitt, also demanded answers from the Biden administration.

“I’m calling for an investigation and demanding answers from the Biden Administration on why a Chinese spy balloon was allowed to hover over critical military infrastructure in Missouri and across the interior of the US without any intervention,” he said.

“The idea that Communist China has a spy balloon headed towards Whiteman air force Base in Missouri right now — the home of the Stealth Bomber — is absolutely unbelievable.

“No American should accept this. I don’t.”

The Pentagon refuses to comment on whether there was any new consideration of shooting down the balloon, stating that it was manoeuverable and posed no threat.

Ok, so here’s what I just caught I few minutes ago out my window. I saw a jet go by so fast and then explosion in the sky. Holy crap! Billings MT. pic.twitter.com/swr8ERC6pf

— Dolly Moore (@MMtTreasures) February 4, 2023

Dramatic footage from a video taken from Billings, Montana, which some in the US media speculate is related, shows what appears to be a military jet buzzing through a neighbourhood — before a massive flash is seen in the sky.

A blast could be heard before the screen goes white and smoke can be seen.

Dolly Moore, the woman who filmed the video, said: “OK, so here’s what I just caught a few minutes ago out my window. I saw a jet go by so fast and then explosion in the sky. Holy crap!”

However, there has been no confirmation that the balloon has been shot down.

CNN reports the US Northern Command is working with NASA to map a debris field should the balloon be shot down.

“We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement to CNN.

Please, SHOOT THEM BOTH DOWN! Stop making our military the laughing stock of the world!

⁦@elonmusk⁩
⁦@VP⁩
⁦@JoeBiden⁩
https://t.co/fQ4Px9yNsF

— LTG (R) Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) February 4, 2023

Blinken’s trip to Beijing was seen as a possible way to find common ground between the two countries, which are in major disagreement over a number of issues, including Taiwan, human rights, China’s claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade policy, and climate change.

Jacob Stokes, a senior fellow at the Centre for a New American Security, said that a balloon floating over US airspace was a more tangible concern for Americans than the myriad other disputes with China — from chip exports to human rights.

Stokes said that the US administration had already been sceptical at gestures from China, starting with President Xi Jinping’s friendly meeting with Biden in November on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Bali.

Clearest photo of the Chinese Spy Balloon so far. This extremely close shot was taken by @Stormchaser_TS over Washington, MO. Tried to enhance the quality as best as I could! #ChineseSpyBalloonpic.twitter.com/P8P9n901L8

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) February 3, 2023

“The question was, is this change in tone indicative of any sort of substantive change in how China conducts itself in the world?” Stokes said.

“And so far the answer has been no.”

He added that the question now becomes whether the balloon incident marks “the postponement of the process” seen in Bali, or “is it really the end of what was always going to be a pretty nascent process?”

Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Centre, said that some theorised that the balloon was sent as sabotage by an opponent of better US relations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a planned diplomatic trip to China as a result of the incident.

She dismissed the idea, noting that Xi himself was expected to meet Blinken.

“I think that’s why Blinken’s visit had been attached a high level of importance in China, because they actually want to work with the Americans to improve relations, especially given the Chinese priority is in economic recovery,” she said.

“But then the next question is — what does this say about Chinese decision-making?”

Matthew Kroenig, a former defence official now at the Atlantic Council, said the episode could mark a dangerous escalation — a new-found interest by China in US nuclear weapons, many of which are stored in silos in remote western areas of the United States.

“Contrary to Pentagon assessments of low intelligence value, China is unlikely to take such risk without seeing benefits,” he said.

“In fact, it gave Beijing the ability to better map US intercontinental ballistic missile silos for future targeting and to gauge the US response.”

Kroenig said the effort may indicate that China is shifting its doctrine to a goal of eliminating US nuclear weapons in strikes in the event of war.

“It shows a brazen belief in Beijing that the Chinese Communist Party can violate US airspace without consequences.”

Originally published as Fury grows against Chinese spy balloon spotted floating over US soil