The Pentagon confirmed it, although it avoided giving details about the place where it was found.
The Department of Defense of the United States warned on Friday night that it detected a second Chinese spy balloon that fly over Latin Americaalthough he did not provide details regarding what area it is in.
The news was released shortly after Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his planned trip to China, after that country’s authorities admitted that the huge balloon that appeared on US soil was theirs.
“We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. Now we assess that it is another Chinese surveillance balloon“Warned the Pentagon spokesman, General Patrick Ryder, although he avoided specifying the place where it is located.
According to China, it is a device of “civilian nature for meteorological affairs” that deviated from its original course. However, officials from the Secretary of State affirmed that it is “a clear and unacceptable violation of US sovereignty.”
Despite suspicions that it is a spy device, the highest-ranking officer in the United States Armed Forces and President Joe Biden’s top military adviser, Mark Milley, recommended not shooting down the first balloon that had been detected near Montana since it did not pose a military threat.
China asked the US to “remain calm” about the balloon that flies over its territory
The director of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Office, Wang Yi, held a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday night to discuss the conflict around the balloon that flies over US territory.
“China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international law. We do not accept any baseless speculation,” Wang said in a statement.
And he completed: “In unexpected situations, both parties must remain calmcommunicate on time, avoid misjudgment and control differences”.
Meanwhile, he complained that “some politicians and media in the United States use the incident as a pretext to attack and smear China.”
The Chinese version of the balloon that flies over the United States
China sought to calm things down this Friday: “It is a civil airship used for research purposes, mainly meteorological. With limited self-steering capacity, the aircraft deviated greatly from its planned course. China regrets the involuntary entry of the aircraft into space US air force due to force majeure,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
“The Chinese side will continue to communicate with the US side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure,” the statement added.
The key trip that was postponed
Blinken’s Journey it was to be the largest US visit to China since 2018. For the Biden administration, it is part of an effort to prevent rivalry with China from worsening. For leaders in Beijing, it is meant to signal China’s exit from the pandemic lockdown and a desire to reconnect with the rest of the world.
US officials they refused to answer several questions about the globe, including the precise purpose of its surveillance, its size or other specifications. “It is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not pose a military or physical threat to people on the ground,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters late Thursday.
With information from agencies.
