U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a scheduled trip to China as the Pentagon continues to investigate what's being called a Chinese "surveillance balloon" that President Biden was briefed on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, military leaders considered shooting the balloon out of the sky shortly after it was spotted but Biden, who feared that shooting it down could cause harmful debris, has chosen not to thus far.
Former President Trump expressed an opposing view, taking to Truth Social on Friday with a message saying "SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!"
Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, provided a statement on the mysterious balloon saying it has been "traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground." That being said, the situation is "adding further strain to tense US-China relations," as CNN highlighted in their coverage of the balloon.
Chase Doak, a Billings resident, spotted an unusual object over Montana on Wednesday.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 3, 2023
The Pentagon has been monitoring a Chinese surveillance balloon for several days. https://t.co/RFVX3SXH7s pic.twitter.com/rvytgX64XI
In a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, a representative explained the balloon as being "a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes."
"The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure," the statement furthers. "The Chinese side will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation."
Video of what appears to be the Chinese surveillance balloon over Kansas earlier today.
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) February 3, 2023
Video via David Remmerspic.twitter.com/0t1ssn4AkA
Lynn McMurdie, a professor in atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington, weighed in on the explanation from China via a quote to The New York Times saying "It's a plausible explanation, but it's preposterous that they didn't guess it would end up in North America."
In a press conference on Friday, Secretary of State Blinken said "The first step is getting the surveillance asset out of our airspace – and that's what we're focused on."
Leaders from the House and Senate on the intelligence committees are scheduled to be briefed on the status of the balloon next week, according to a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
