(TotalConservative.com) – The U.S. military detected a high-altitude spy balloon hovering over Montana last week, later announcing their suspicion that it belonged to China. On Thursday, January 26th, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder announced the detection of the balloon while an anonymous senior defense official told Fox News that the government is “confident” it belongs to the Chinese.
That same official indicated the balloon had entered U.S. airspace earlier in the week and they had been tracking it for “some time.”
Ryder elaborated that the balloon was hovering well above the area where air traffic is concerned and presented no other threat. As soon as it was detected, American military personnel “acted immediately” to prevent further intelligence gathering. They did contemplate destroying the spy balloon but announced its existence to the world instead.
The Pentagon said it regularly deals with these types of balloons, they are not an uncommon tool deployed by the Chinese to spy on American soil. Montana is home to most of America’s ICBM and nuclear launch bases, which could explain the interest.
China later responded to the Pentagon’s claims and said they were doing their own investigation into the balloon. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning made the claim the balloon was not theirs and that China “has always strictly abided by international laws.” She went on to say that the communist state did not intend to violate the airspace of other countries and urged U.S. officials to investigate “calmly and carefully.”
The balloon, which had migrated across the mainland, was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday afternoon, just off the coast of North Carolina.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was scheduled to visit China for an in-person meeting to discuss various issues including the situation in Taiwan, but the trip has since been canceled. Could this announcement and accusation of ownership ahead of his visit be used as leverage to give the U.S. an advantage ahead of the talks?
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