It becomes a diplomatic case that of the Chinese balloon that flew over the skies of Montana in the USA, including an American nuclear missile base, the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Billings.
The Biden administration has decided to postpone Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Beijing , scheduled for the next few days. " The presence of a Chinese spy balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of American sovereignty and is unacceptable ," said a State Department official to motivate the postponement, while specifying that "the channels of communication" with Beijing " remain open".
Beijing expressed its regret, defining the episode "an error" and specifying that the balloon is for civilian use and is used "for meteorological and scientific research" .
The "spy" balloon was monitored by the Pentagon, which decided not to shoot it down to avoid the risk of damage to people on the ground due to falling debris.
A senior defense official said the US was " sure it was a high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over sensitive sites to gather information ." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin convened a meeting of senior military and defense leaders to review the balloon's threat profile and possible responses, which were presented to Joe Biden. The US contacted Chinese officials "urgently" and communicated the seriousness of the situation.
In the evening, the note from the Beijing Foreign Ministry arrived: « The balloon comes from China, it is used for research purposes, mainly meteorological. Struck by westerly winds and with limited self-steering capabilities, it deviated greatly from its planned course .'
China, the note reads, « regrets its involuntary entry into US airspace due to force majeure . The Chinese side will continue to communicate with the US side and adequately handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure."
