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A second Chinese “surveillance” balloon flies over Latin America, the Pentagon reported this Friday, at a time of tension between Washington and Beijing after the detection of a first Chinese aerostat in the United States, which led to the suspension of a visit by the secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to Peking.
“We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it to be another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Defense Department spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement that did not specify its exact location. The day before, the Pentagon had announced the detection of an alleged Chinese spy balloon in United States airspace, which it described as an “irresponsible act”, despite the fact that the Chinese authorities “regretted” the intrusion, according to them “involuntary”.
Last Thursday, the Costa Rican newspaper The nation reported a sighting whose description would coincide with that of the device that appeared over the United States: “A white flying object, or what appeared to be a hot air balloon, was observed early this Thursday morning over the Costa Rican Pacific and the Greater Metropolitan Area”, detailed The nation.
The nation
Was the balloon that flew over Costa Rica from China? United States gives clues https://t.co/UrCA2ueIlt
— The Nation (@nation) February 4, 2023
Chinese spy balloon flies over Latin America
Blinken postponed a visit to Beijing on Friday and personally communicated it to a senior Chinese official. The visit, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, “has been postponed” and will be rescheduled when “conditions are right,” said a US official who requested anonymity.
Initially, the Chinese government asked that the matter not be exaggerated, but on Friday it ended up acknowledging that it was indeed a device from China.
“I can tell you that the balloon is heading east and is currently over the center of the United States” at about 18,000 meters above sea level and will remain in US territory “for a few days,” the Pentagon spokesman said at a press conference. He reiterated that the balloon flies at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and “does not represent a military or physical threat to people on the ground.” .
Authorities chose not to shoot it down, due to the risks potential debris posed to people on the ground, he added, calling its ability to gather information “limited.”
with AFP
