Washington and Beijing They are still locked in a discussion over the sighting of flying objects in their respective airspaces. While both powers continue to accuse each other of spying on each other, the episode continues to raise diplomatic tension.
(Read here: The unidentified flying objects that cause alert in North America)
After the United States reported at the beginning of the month about a “spy balloon” that flew over its territory, the army shot down another three flying objects this weekend. Although the authorities have not been able to establish whether these artifacts actually came from the Asian giant, Washington is on high alert.
(See also: What is known about mysterious flying objects that the US and Canada shot down?)
Meanwhile, Beijing denounced this Monday that since January 2022 some 10 American balloons have entered its airspace, an accusation that was denied by the United States.
The relationships between United States and China They have worsened further after Washington on February 4 shot down an alleged Chinese spy device, which Beijing said was for civilian purposes.
“It is not uncommon for the United States to illegally enter other countries’ airspace,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.
“In the last year alone, American balloons have flown over China more than 10 times without any authorization,” he said.
Asked how China responded to those alleged incursions, Wang said Beijing’s “management (of these incidents) was responsible and professional.”
“If you want to know more about US high-altitude balloons illegally entering China’s airspace, I suggest you refer to the US side,” he added.
What does the US say about ‘spy balloons’?
The White House and the State Department they responded to these “false” claims and accused China of “trying to limit the damage” caused by its “spy balloon program”.
The United States increased surveillance of its airspace as the number of air raids increases, which Beijing denied knowledge of on Monday.
The Pentagon said Sunday it still does not know what three other objects were shot down: one on Friday over Alaska, another on Saturday over Canada’s Yukon Territory and the most recent on Sunday over Lake Huron.
Authorities did say the object shot down Sunday had been tracked for nearly a day and did not resemble the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was destroyed off the Atlantic coast on February 4 after passing through the country.
President Joe Biden ordered an F-16 fighter to shoot down the last object “out of an abundance of caution,” a senior administration official said.
The object was described by the official as an octagonal structure from which ropes hung.
It drifted about 20,000 feet above Michigan and could have posed a danger to civil aviation, according to the official.
For his part, General Glen VanHerck, head of the United States Northern Command, told the press that after sending planes to inspect the most recent object, they concluded that there were no indications of any threat, as with previous objects. .
“What we’re seeing are very, very small objects that produce a very, very low radar cross section,” he said.
Although he declined to describe the shape or size of the objects, he said they moved very slowly, at the speed of the wind.
Speculations about its nature have skyrocketed in recent days. “I’ll let the intelligence community and the counterintelligence community figure it out,” VanHerck said.
NATO pronounces on the use of ‘spy balloons’
NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenbergassured this Monday that the flying objects shot down in recent days in United States and Canada they are “part of a pattern” in which China and Russia “are increasing surveillance and intelligence activities” against Alliance countries.
“What we saw last week about the United States is part of a pattern in which China, but also Russia, are increasing their intelligence and surveillance activities against NATO allies with many different platforms. We see it in cyberspace, we see it with satellites, more and more satellites, and we see it with balloons,” he said.
The Norwegian politician expressed himself in this sense in a press conference prior to the meeting of defense ministers of the transatlantic organization that is held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels.
For Stoltenberg, this trend highlights “the importance” of surveillance and the increased presence of the Alliance, as well as the fact of intensifying and increasing how allies share information from intelligence services and how they monitor and protect their airspace. .
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
TIME
*With AFP
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