Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Hovering Over Northern US
AllSides Summary
The U.S. military has reportedly been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over the northern U.S. for several days.
The Details: U.S. defense leaders have discussed shooting the high-altitude balloon out of the sky, but Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reportedly advised against that to protect people on the ground. The balloon was spotted over Montana on Wednesday, and tactical defense aircraft were reportedly scrambled from a nearby Air Force base in response. It was reportedly spotted over Kansas on Friday.
For Context: Montana is home to a nuclear-armed U.S. intercontinental-ballistic-missile base, a possible target of Chinese surveillance. Officials said similar balloons have been spotted in recent years, but this one has stayed longer than others. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is soon expected to travel to Beijing for a diplomatic follow-up on President Joe Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last year.
Key Quotes: Multiple sources quoted a senior U.S. defense official as saying, "Currently we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective over and above what the [People's Republic of China] can do through other means," though it is flying over "a number of sensitive sites." A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said "China is a responsible country that always abides by international law and has no intention of infringing on any country’s territory and airspace."
How the Media Covered It: The news was covered prominently by sources across the political spectrum.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Suspected Chinese spy balloon found over northern U.S.
The U.S. military has been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern U.S. for the past few days, and military and defense leaders have discussed shooting it out of the sky, according to two U.S. officials and a senior defense official.
“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 Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News. “We continue to track and monitor it closely.”
“Once the balloon was detected, the...
From the Center
China Says It Is Looking Into Spy-Balloon Allegation by U.S.
China declined to say whether it sent a spy balloon over the continental U.S. but said it wanted to handle the allegation calmly with Washington.
U.S. officials said on Thursday that a Chinese reconnaissance balloon had been spotted over Montana, adding that it was expected to pass in a southeasterly direction over the country for a few days.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said in a daily press briefing on Friday that officials were still collecting information about the allegation.
“The Chinese side is gathering and verifying the facts,” said the spokeswoman,...
From the Right
Pentagon Tracking Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Flying Over ‘Sensitive’ Sites On American Soil
The Department of Defense is tracking a suspected high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon that appears to be collecting data on sensitive U.S. sites, multiple defense officials said Thursday.
President Joe Biden was briefed regarding the surveillance balloon and requested military options, but Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin after convening a meeting of senior leadership Wednesday recommended against shooting it down to protect the safety of people on the ground, a senior defense official told reporters. The balloon has a “limited value” to China for intelligence collection beyond the capabilities Beijing currently exercises, but...
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