The incident recalls the lengths to which Beijing and Washington have been willing to go to spy on each other amid rising tensions between the superpowers.
WASHINGTON DC, USA – A suspected Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a couple of days, and senior US officials have advised President Joe Biden against shooting it down for fear the debris could pose a safety threat.“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters.
“The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last five years,” Rubio said on Twitter. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, while traveling to the Philippines, convened a meeting of senior Pentagon officials on Wednesday to discuss the balloon incident.US military leaders considered shooting down the balloon over Montana on Wednesday but eventually advised Biden against it because of the safety risk from debris, the official told reporters.
“But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn’t drive the risk down low enough. So we didn’t take the shot.”
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