Biden Admin. Makes No Effort to Remove Chinese Spy Balloon Floating Over U.S.

Biden said shooting it down would pose a “risk to [the] safety and security of the people on the ground.”

QUICK FACTS:
  • The President of the United States has done nothing to ensure that the nation’s national security interests are protected after a Chinese spy balloon was spotted over Montana.
  • Montana is home to three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
  • Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the Department of Defense (DOD) is “taking steps” to “protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information.”
  • Ryder added that officials “have been tracking it for some time,” noting that the purpose of the balloon is for “surveillance,” yet the government has not taken steps to remove it.
  • Despite concluding that “even if the probability was low in a sparsely populated area of the debris falling and hurting somebody or damaging property,” officials did not believe “the risk of downing it” was “worth it.”
  • Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to Beijing, China, due to the balloon.
  • The decision potentially creates more tension in U.S.-China relations, as China maintains that the balloon is a “civilian airship” for “meteorological purposes.”
  • “The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated, using a legal term to refer to uncontrollable circumstances.
  • Former President Donald Trump called for the balloon to be shot down. “SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!” Trump posted on Truth Social Friday morning.
“POTENTIAL SECOND” BALLOON:
  • Canada’s National Defence reported a “potential second incident” of a Chinese spy balloon within its own airspace.
  • It is unclear whether this is the same balloon now seen over Montana or if it is a separate balloon.
  • Canada stated the balloon is being tracked by NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command).
  • Should it be the same balloon as the one observed in Montana, some speculate the balloon crossed the Canadian border and continued into the United States.
  • Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said, “It’s outrageous, it’s very concerning that a hostile foreign government had a spy balloon in our airspace that continued to transit into the northwestern United States.”
BACKGROUND:
  • American Faith has reported other incidents of Chinese surveillance of Americans.
  • The popular Chinese-owned app TikTok poses national security concerns, according to a Federal Communications Commission (FEC) official.
  • TikTok represents a “sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data,” said the official.

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