The United States is hot on the trail of a alleged Chinese surveillance balloon which has been flying over US airspace for a couple of days, but the Pentagon has decided don’t tear it down due to the risks of damage to people on the ground, official sources reported on Thursday.
A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the United States has “much trust” in which it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and that it was flying over sensitive places to collect information. One of the places where the balloon was sighted was Montana, where one of the three silo fields of nuclear missiles of the country, in the malmstrom base of the Air Force. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
brigadier general Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, made a brief statement on the matter, stating that the government continues to track the globe. He said that “It currently travels at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not pose a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”
He said similar balloon activity has been seen in recent years. He added that the United States took steps to ensure that it did not collect sensitive information.
The defense official said the US has communicated with Chinese officials through multiple channels and told them the seriousness of the matter.
The Pentagon announcement comes days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to travel to China. It is not clear if this will affect his travel plans, which the State Department has not formally announced.
(With information from AP)
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