US Considered Shooting Down China Spy Balloon Surveilling Sensitive Nuclear Weapons Sites

On Thursday, the Pentagon revealed that it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States.

AFP

This development has stirred tensions between the two countries, just days ahead of a US diplomat's rare visit to Beijing.

Upon the sighting, President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and top military officials considered shooting down the balloon but were advised otherwise.

They were told that the destruction of the balloon would endanger too many people on the ground, a senior defence official told US media.

'Intent of balloon is for surveillance'

The official, who chose to be anonymous, told the reporters that "the intent of this balloon is for surveillance".

He added that the balloon had flown over the northwest United States, where there are sensitive airbases and nuclear missiles in underground silos.

AFP

However, the Pentagon did not believe it constituted a dangerous intelligence threat.

"We assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective," the official said.

Meeting to tackle tensions between the countries

The discovery of the aircraft comes just days before an expected visit to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, with managing heightened tensions between the two powers at the top of the agenda.

Blinken's visit to Beijing, which follows a meeting last November between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit, will be the first trip to the Asian country by the United States' top diplomat since 2018.

Antony Blinken/ Image By Reuters

In addition to ongoing disputes over trade and intellectual property, relations between the two countries have frayed, particularly over democratically-governed Taiwan, which China has pledged to reunite with the mainland.

The United States has been selling arms to Taiwan to defend itself, and Biden has said Washington would help protect the island if China attacked.

Fighter jets were flown to examine the balloon

The defence official said that the balloon entered US airspace "a couple days ago" but that American intelligence had been tracking it well before that.

Austin, who was in the Philippines, held discussions Wednesday with top Pentagon officials after Biden asked about options for dealing with the balloon.

AFP

Fighter jets were flown to examine it while it was above Montana as discussions took place. But the Pentagon decision was "not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field," the official said.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder confirmed the balloon was still being tracked over US airspace.

"The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic. It does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground," Ryder said in a statement.

Canada's statement points to other surveillance activities

Canada's defence department said it was working with the United States late Thursday to track a balloon, signalling there could be other surveillance activities.

"Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident," the department said, without giving further details or mentioning China.

Beijing has sent surveillance balloons over the United States in the past. However, the senior US defence official said this one has lingered in US airspace much longer. He added that "the seriousness of the issue" with the balloon had been raised with Beijing officials. China has offered no immediate comment on the issue.

(With inputs from AFP)

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