A suspected Chinese "spy balloon" has been floating over the United States for days, with senior U.S. officials advising President Joe Biden not to shoot it down because of concerns that fragments of the balloon could pose a security threat.
Reuters reported that a senior U.S. defense official told the media on Thursday (February 2): "It is clear that the purpose of this balloon is for surveillance."
Authorities in Washington have been tracking the balloon, which entered U.S. airspace several days ago, including through surveillance by U.S. military aircraft.
U.S. officials declined to say how high the balloon flew, saying only that it was higher than civilian air traffic, but lower than "outer space."
Senior U.S. military leaders considered shooting down balloons over Montana, but ultimately advised against it because of potential safety risks from balloon debris.
Relations between the world's two largest economies have continued to be tense, with occasional clashes over Taiwan's and China's human rights records and China's military activities in the South China Sea.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Beijing on February 5 and will discuss a range of issues with Chinese officials, including Russia's aggression against Ukraine. However, analysts do not believe that Blinken's trip will be able to restart Sino-US relations or achieve major results.
The last time the U.S. Secretary of State visited China was in October 2018, when then Secretary of State Pompeo went to Beijing for talks with then Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. At that time, the trade war between China and the United States was escalating, and the two foreign ministers faced each other fiercely.
In addition, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin met with Philippine Defense Secretary Gavez on February 2 and announced that the two countries agreed to expand the 2014 U.S.-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and the Philippines will open four more military bases to the U.S. military.
In response to the US-Philippines agreement to open military bases, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning criticized the US at a press conference on the same day for its self-interested, zero-sum mentality of continuously strengthening military deployment in the region, saying that this is exacerbating tension in the region and endangering Peace and stability in the region. "Countries in the region should remain vigilant against this and avoid being coerced and used by the United States."
