Chinese Spy Balloon: McCarthy Calls For Immediate Action

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Requested a “Gang of Eight” After the Pentagon had announced that it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon hovering over the United States, a classified briefing was held on February 2.

The “Gang of Eight” The four congressional leaders representing the Senate and House, and the chairs of the Senate Select Committees on Intelligence and their ranking members.

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. It was announced by Gen. Pat Ryder that it was tracking “a high altitude surveillance balloon” Flying at an altitude over the United States “well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”

Senior defense officials claimed that the Pentagon has made a number of improvements to its security measures. “very high confidence” that the balloon belongs to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Chinese regime’s official name.

Official added that the Pentagon has “engaged PRC officials with urgency” You can contact the Chinese Embassy in the United States or the U.S. Embassy In China through many channels.

“We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue,” The official stated that the message was sent to China, but did not provide details.

U.S. Defense secretary Lloyd Austin (R), walks past military guards as he arrives at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Philippines, Feb. 2, 2023. (Rolex Delapena-Pool/Getty Images)

The official said that President Joe Biden had been briefed about the situation, and asked for military options. Lloyd Austin, Defense Secretary Traveling in the PhilippinesA meeting was convened to decide if the balloon should be dropped.

Gen. Mark Milley (chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and Gen. Glen VanHerck (head of U.S. Northern Command), strongly urged against the shooting of it down. They said that falling debris could pose a threat to the people living on the ground.

“We had been looking at whether there was an option yesterday over some sparsely populated areas in Montana. But we just couldn’t buy down the risk enough to feel comfortable recommending shooting it down yesterday,” The official added.

Montana is home to the Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of the country’s nuclear missile silo fields.

Official said that the Pentagon had determined that the balloon had been launched. “limited additive value” China has a lot more information than the Pentagon about what it is able collect from its satellites in Low Earth Orbit. The Pentagon, however, has taken “mitigation steps” According to the official, it was to prevent possible foreign intelligence gathering.

China

A bipartisan group of lawmakers condemned Beijing for the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.)—the chair and ranking member on the House’s Select Committee on China, respectively—issued a joint statement saying that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) should not have “on-demand access to American Airspace.”

“Not only is this a violation of American sovereignty, coming only days before Secretary Blinken’s trip to the PRC, but it also makes clear that the CCP’s recent diplomatic overtures do not represent a substantive change in policy,” They wrote.

“Indeed, this incident demonstrates that the CCP threat is not confined to distant shores—it is here at home and we must act to counter this threat.”

Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., wrote that Gallagher was not the same as Krishnamoorthi “are spot on” They will be able to help you with your assessment.

“The Chinese Communist Party cannot be allowed to violate American airspace. America must meet the threat they pose to our livelihoods and our security,” Deluzio wrote.

During the review conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in New York, August 1, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the United Nations General Assembly. (David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters)

On February 5, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China for a two-day visit. It is not yet clear if the leak of the spy balloon might have an effect on the trip. The Epoch Times reached out to the State Department in an effort to get their comment.

Several GOP lawmakers also commented on Blinken’s upcoming trip to China.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) Twitter user Sen. Tom Cotton (R.-Ark.), tweeted to state that Blinken must cancel his trip.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R.N.Y.), requested that Blinken “must hold President Xi [Jinping] accountable during his visit.”

“This is unacceptable. @SecBlinken, you must raise this during your visit to China this weekend,” wrote Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) on TwitterShe said that she was looking forward to receiving a detailed briefing from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that a balloon was a civilian “airship” Used for research, primarily meteorological purposes.

According to the statement, the airship’s steering capabilities are limited. “deviated far from its planned course” Winds. It stated that China regretted the unintentional entry of the airship in U.S. airspace.

Montana

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) Austin was contacted by Sen. Steve Daines (R.Mont.). “full security briefing” The Biden administration.

“The fact that this balloon was occupying Montana airspace creates significant concern that Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) and the United States’ intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fields are the target of this intelligence gathering mission,” Daines wrote.

“It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the U.S. that this spy balloon was utilizing,” He went on. “There is no higher priority for your administration than the safety and security of the American people and it is imperative that your administration reassure them of that fact at this time.”

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) questions Jerome Powell, the Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, as he testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, DC on March 3, 2022. (Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R.Mont.), is another Montana lawmaker.On Twitter, he asked Biden to recognise the dangers posed by China.

“It’s unacceptable to allow communist China to invade our airspace—this is another clear example of Chinese aggression,” Rosendale wrote. “President Biden must start putting the American people first and recognize that China is a threat to our freedom, values, and way of life.”

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (a Republican) issued a statement stating that he had “received an informational briefing” The suspected Chinese spy balloon.

“From the spy balloon to the Chinese Communist Party spying on Americans through TikTok to CCP-linked companies buying American farmland, I’m deeply troubled by the constant stream of alarming developments for our national security,” Gianforte wrote. 

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