Chinese "spy balloon": A day after an alleged Chinese "spy balloon" was detected hovering over the skies of the United States, another similar balloon was reportedly detected flying over Latin America on Friday. While speaking to media persons on Friday, Pentagon press secretary Brig Gen Patrick Ryder said that the defence officials were assessing the second balloon.
Citing some media reports, he said that the balloon was transiting Latin America. "We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon," according to Ryder.
Notably, the US had, on Thursday, reported the first incident of a balloon hovering over the skies of the country.
"Balloon is not posing any threat to US"
Later, the Pentagon claimed that the balloon took off from China and was supposed to be "spy equipment". "The balloon was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet and floating over the centre of the continental United States in an easterly direction, posing no risk to commercial aviation, military assets or people on the ground," he said. "The balloon has violated US airspace and international law, which is unacceptable," he said, adding that the US has communicated that to Chinese leaders at multiple levels.
A reason not to shoot it down at this point, he said, is that besides not posing a threat to people or aircraft, the resulting debris from a strike of this large balloon could be harmful to people on the ground and result in property damage.
China acknowledges balloon
Later, Beijing accepted that the giant balloon was taken off from its territory but refuted the claims of sending spy equipment to the US. Instead, it termed the helium balloon a "weather data collector" and added it was floated towards the US by the flow of wind. "China is a responsible country and we always act in accordance with international law. We have no intention to violate the territory or airspace of any sovereign country," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s said in a regular press conference on Friday.
Although it was still not clear whether the ballon actually contained "spy equipment" or was just a "weather analyser", US Secretary Antony Blinken cancelled his much-awaited trip to Beijing where he was supposed to discuss come of the pressing issues including China's tensions with its neighbouring Taiwan.
