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Tag: Live updates: Suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the US

  • Live updates: Suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the US

    Live updates: Suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the US

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    The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon is flying about 60,000 feet above the United States, according to Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.

    To put that in perspective, that’s in the stratosphere, about 18,000 feet higher than where commercial airplanes fly.

    Here’s a look at how that compares to other things in the sky:

    What else we know about the balloon: The US Defense Department knows the suspected surveillance balloon floating over the northern US “has the ability to maneuver,” Ryder said. He did not specify how, but did say Friday the balloon “has changed its course which, again, is why we’re monitoring it.”

    In terms of size, Ryder said the balloon is big enough that officials are worried about potential debris possibly hurting people on the ground if the US were to shoot it down.

    “In terms of the size, I’m not able to get into the specifics other than to say that it is big enough that, again, in reviewing our approach, we do recognize that any potential debris field would be significant and potentially cause civilian injuries or deaths, or significant property damage,” Ryder said Friday.

    Pentagon officials said they expect it to continue to pass over the US for the next couple days.

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  • Another Chinese spy balloon is transiting Latin America, Pentagon says

    Another Chinese spy balloon is transiting Latin America, Pentagon says

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    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is postponing his trip this weekend to China in light of the suspected Chinese spy balloon heading across the US.

    “We’re confident this is a Chinese surveillance balloon,” he said.

    Blinken said that it was “detrimental” to discussions that officials planned to have during his visit. He added that the US and China will continue to keep lines of communication open, including to address the balloon.

    “Once we detected the balloon, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information,” Blinken said at a news conference Friday. “We communicated with the PRC (People’s Republic of China) government directly through multiple channels about this issue. Members of my team consulted with our partners in other agencies, and in Congress. We also engaged our close allies and partners to inform them of the presence of the surveillance balloon in our airspace.”

    Blinken said he told the Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office Wang Yi this morning that the balloon flight was an “irresponsible act” and a “clear violation of US sovereignty” and international law.

    He said he plans to visit Beijing “when conditions allow.”

    “The world expects the United States and China to manage our relationship responsibly,” he said.
    “The United States will continue to act in a way that reflects that responsibility. We look to our PRC counterparts to do the same,” he added.

    CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this post.

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  • Live updates: Suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the US

    Live updates: Suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the US

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    Sources familiar with the matter tell CNN that it appears that the suspected Chinese spy balloon movements appear to rely primarily on the jet stream, allowing Beijing to predict its likely path.

    China can control the surveillance balloon to an extent, for example by turning on and off the surveillance gear inside of it, the sources said. The fact that China does have some control over the balloon’s capabilities is why the US government has raised their concerns with Beijing about it, the sources said.

    What US officials are saying: The balloon’s surveillance equipment appears to be powered by a solar array, one US official said, which would provide the system with a reliable source of power at high altitude. But the solar array does not appear to be connected to any type of motor that would allow China to steer the balloon, the official added.

    Pentagon officials said they did not believe the balloon had surveillance or intelligence-gathering capabilities above and beyond Chinese spy satellites in low earth orbit, but unlike satellites that pass rapidly over a location every 90 minutes, a spy balloon can loiter over a spot and gather more of a “pattern of life” of a particular site, the official said.

    In the past, the US has simply allowed balloons like this to waft away, without taking any action or publicizing their presence over the US, the sources said. It is also not the first time a surveillance balloon has appeared over the United States.  

    The US official said there were similar incidents with suspected Chinese surveillance balloons over Hawaii and Guam in recent years. On Thursday, a senior defense official said, “Instances of this activity have been observed over the past several years, including prior to this administration.”

    The US government now believes that it has gotten China’s attention about the balloon, and that the matter could be resolved soon, the sources said. 

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