Suspected Chinese spy balloon has been hovering over the northern United States

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China launches investigation into suspected spy balloon flying over US, ministry says
Mao urged the US and China to proceed 'calmly and carefully' amid the suspected spy balloon investigation

Fox News - adapted | February 3, 2023


China has announced its government is looking into reports that a suspected Chinese spy balloon was discovered flying in U.S. airspace over Montana.

"China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international laws, and China has no intention to violate the territory and airspace of any sovereign countries," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning during a daily briefing on Friday.

She also urged U.S. officials and Chinese authorities to proceed "calmly and carefully" amid the investigation.

"As for the balloon, as I’ve mentioned just now, we are looking into and verifying the situation and hope that both sides can handle this together calmly and carefully," Mao added.

The foreign minister said judgment should be withheld "before we have a clear understanding of the facts."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to visit China on Friday, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.  (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)

His visit comes amid months of tense relations between Beijing and Washington over trade, Taiwan, human rights issues and China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

"What I want to emphasize is that before we have a clear understanding of the facts, speculation and sensationalizing will be unhelpful to the proper handling of the issue. As for Blinken’s visit to China, I have no information," Mao said.

Senior U.S. defense officials said the government is closely monitoring the high-altitude surveillance balloon.

"The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," said Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a briefing on Thursday afternoon.

He added: "The U.S. government, including NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information."

The U.S. government is "confident" the surveillance balloon belongs to the People's Republic of China, a defense official told Fox News. It is also considering bringing it down using military assets.

It is not immediately clear how long the balloon has been in U.S. airspace. The senior defense official said the government has been tracking it for "some time" and that it entered U.S. airspace a "couple of days ago."

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High-Altitude Chinese Spy Balloon Tracked In Montana Airspace Near ICBM Fields

ZH | FEB 03, 2023

US military commanders have advised President Biden against shooting down a Chinese spy balloon flying over the US.

Reuters said the US military took "custody" of the "high-altitude surveillance balloon" and deployed military aircraft, including stealth fighter jets, to observe it.

Such balloons operate at an altitude of 15-22 miles, well above commercial air traffic. The balloon's size is estimated to be equivalent to three buses.

"The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters Thursday.

"The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground," Ryder continued.

Right now, the spy balloon appears to be occupying Montana airspace. This alarmed the state's Republican Senator Steve Daines, who sent an alarming letter to the Department of Defense (DOD). He said the spy balloon is a "concerning event": because Montana airspace includes "Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) and the United State's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fields."

Daines wrote that given "the serious nature of the event," he is "requesting a full security briefing from the administration on this situation."

"It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised US national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the US that this spy balloon was utilizing," he continued.

"As you know, Montana plays a vital national security role by housing nuclear missile silos at Malmstrom AFB," the senator said.

Separately, Canada's defense ministry is monitoring a "potential second incident" but declined to give further details.

News of the spy balloon followed CIA Director William Burns' speech at a Georgetown University event, where he called China the "biggest geopolitical challenge" facing the West.

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"The suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been drifting across the United States for several days has been shot down off the coast of[b] South Carolina[/b]. The balloon was shot down by U.S. fighter jets in U.S. airspace at 2:39 p.m. ET on Saturday, U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News."

Full Story:
www.cbsnews.com/news/chinese-spy-balloon-shot-down-off-carolina-coast/