“They should understand what we have experienced” – USA working on alliance against China espionage

Washington The US government is discussing joint action with international partners after the downing of a Chinese spy balloon. The United States had previously stated that China had used spy balloons over other continents in the past, including Europe.

“We have consulted with many like-minded countries over the past few days,” said Ned Price, spokesman for the US State Department on Monday. “We want them to understand what we have experienced. Other regions of the world are also exposed to these brazen violations of their sovereignty. First and foremost, we think it is important that we share as much information as possible. Because many countries will have to face the challenges together.”

On Saturday, the US military shot down a Chinese aircraft that had flown through US airspace at an altitude of 18 kilometers for several days. The United States accuses China of using the balloon to spy on sensitive military information. China rejects the allegations and speaks of a civilian research balloon that was blown away by strong winds.

The White House, on the other hand, emphasizes: “We are certain that the balloon was used for espionage purposes”. The Chinese Foreign Ministry regretted that the balloon entered US airspace, after the object was shot down, Beijing tried to de-escalate. Nevertheless, the relationship between the two economic giants is heavily strained, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a trip to Beijing at short notice. According to his ministry, there have been “no talks about a new date for the visit” so far.

Nevertheless, they want to keep the channels to China open, spokesman Price continued. “Dialogue and diplomacy are always important when it comes to the relationship between two competitors. It is all the more important in times when tensions are further aggravated.” It is important that the situation does not culminate in a conflict.

Salvage operations off the coast of South Carolina

Also on Monday, the US Department of Defense acknowledged that Chinese spy balloons had been sighted “late” or not at all in the past. The US military has not detected previous flights of similar objects over the US during Donald Trump’s administration, said Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The department carried out the launch of the latest spy balloon over the Atlantic on Saturday. The general spoke in an “attention gap” in the US military to track certain objects in the air. At least three spy balloon flights flew over the United States during the Trump era.

At the same time, the debris from the balloon is being recovered off the southern east coast of the USA. A Navy dock landing ship, the USS Carter Hall, is off South Carolina collecting the parts, VanHerck said. The USNS Pathfinder, an oceanographic survey ship, is also in action. The rough sea would have hampered the salvage work on Sunday. The Department of Defense called on the public to report debris washed ashore to federal authorities and not to touch it.

The US government hopes the remains will provide further information about the purpose and nature of the Chinese balloon. US President Joe Biden had said that one of the reasons he waited days with the launch order was because the balloon was overland for a long time. Killing it over water was the “safe option,” Biden said. According to General VanHerck, the balloon was 60 meters in diameter and weighed “more than a few thousand pounds”.

A Chinese balloon was also spotted in Costa Rica on Monday. China apologized Monday and acknowledged that one of its balloons flew over the territory of the Central American country, Costa Rica’s foreign ministry said in a brief statement Monday. The Chinese Embassy in San Jose apologized for the incident and said the balloon was used for scientific research, primarily weather studies.

More: Why Biden can’t afford weakness on the China issue

With agency material.

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