The US has alleged that China is operating a “fleet” of spy balloons. (file)
Washington:
Questions about three unidentified flying objects by US Air Force jets over North America in three days intensified Monday, while Beijing and Washington threatened to use high-tech balloons to spy on each other. Was accused.
Puzzle, fear and growing anger in some political quarters reigned as President Joe Biden’s administration sought to explain not only the objects’ origins but their purpose, potential danger and number.
It is unclear whether the three latest unidentified flying objects — Friday over Alaska, Saturday over Canada, Sunday over Michigan’s Lake Huron — have any connection to a very large white balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic on February 4.
The US military, which tracked that balloon as it crossed much of the country, says it was a sophisticated, high-altitude Chinese spy device – one of a fleet of such craft that reportedly But was floating around the world. Rescue teams are scouring the ocean floor to retrieve debris for analysis.
China insists that the balloon, large enough to be visible to ordinary Americans from the ground, was simply blown up while collecting weather data. Chinese officials also acknowledged that a balloon seen over Latin America was one of theirs – in this case a civilian device for flight testing.
On Monday, Beijing sought to turn the tables, accusing Washington of deploying more than 10 balloons in Chinese airspace last year.
“It is not unusual for the United States to illegally enter other countries’ airspace,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said during a briefing. The alleged flights were carried out “without any approval from the Chinese authorities”.
At the White House, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson immediately called China’s allegations “false” and said China’s high-altitude spying program violated the airspace of “40 countries across five continents”.
The State Department said that China was “scrambling for damage control” and that the Communist government had “failed to provide any credible explanation for the intrusion into our airspace.”
Over the weekend, Chinese state-affiliated media reported that an unidentified flying object had been sighted off the country’s east coast and that the military was preparing to shoot it down.
Beijing declined to comment on Monday on the report that reporters were sent to the defense ministry, which did not respond to requests for comment from AFP.
– Questions and some answers –
In Washington, the extraordinary events are fueling already intense skepticism about China in both the Democratic and Republican parties – a prospect likely to grow as the 2024 presidential election approaches.
The diplomatic fallout has already been substantial, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceling a rare visit to Beijing.
Republican lawmakers on Monday pressed the White House for answers about the scope and nature of the threat.
“How many more unidentified objects in US airspace give us some – any – answers before the Biden administration?” Republican Representative Mark Green tweeted.
Officials have released little information about the three latest objects, except that they were much smaller than the Chinese balloons destroyed on February 4. It was about the size of three buses, while the new targets were more the size of a car.
“We will do everything possible to get them back,” White House spokesman John Kirby told MSNBC on Monday. “As we do that, we’ll know more.”
The unidentified flying object that was shot down over Michigan on Sunday was described by officials as an octagonal structure with dangling wires. However there was no information on how it was directed or propelled.
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand told CNN that the object dropped by the US aircraft over Canada appeared to be “cylindrical”, but said no more details would be released until “we collect the debris”.
Amidst often wild speculation, General Glenn VanHurck of the US Northern Command was asked if the government could be sure these were not extraterrestrial craft and replied: “I haven’t ruled anything out at this point.”
The reason for the sudden spurt of sightings is another unanswered question.
Melissa Dalton, assistant secretary of Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, said on Sunday that this may be because the Pentagon is “enhancing” its radar — meaning smaller objects are now visible.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
featured video of the day
Prime Minister to inaugurate grand Delhi-Mumbai Expressway today, Rajasthan Election Scheme