According to the spokesperson for the National Security Council of the American Executive, the “weather conditions” has so far not allowed to carry out underwater operations for this aircraft.
MO12345LEMONDE with AFP
They floated “on the surface of the sea”. From the first debris of the Chinese ball shot down on Saturday were recovered by teams deployed off the coast of Southern Carolina, in the south-east of the country, said a White House spokesperson on Monday, February 6. p>
According to John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council of the American Executive, the “weather conditions” has so far not allowed to carry out underwater recovery operations for this aircraft, presented as a Spy ball by Washington. Furthermore, he said that the United States did not “intend to make” the debris collected in China.
General Glen Vanherck, head of the aerospace defense command for North America (Norad), said that a ship of the American navy was delimiting the radius in which the debris fell. The balloon itself was about 60 meters high and wore a sort of nacelle weighing more than a ton, said this manager at a separate press conference. The debris will be carefully studied, added the general.
While the American president, Joe Biden, is criticized by the Republican opposition for having, according to her, too long to shoot down the machine, John Kirby assured that this period had given the Americans “a formidable opportunity to better Understand and study “the ball, while waiting for debris to provide other information.
other Chinese balloons observed, during Donald Trump’s mandate
He then assured that the United States had “taken measures to limit the [data] collection capacities that this ball would have had above our sensitive military sites”. Mr. Kirby finally declared that the Biden administration had “contacted leaders of the previous administration and [had] proposed briefs” about the overflights of Chinese balloons having taken place while Donald Trump was president .
According to the Pentagon, Chinese balloons flew over three times, for brief periods, the American territory during the presidency of Donald Trump, and once, also for a short duration, at the start of Joe Biden’s mandate.
The spokesman for the State Department, Ned Price, also assured Monday that the United States had had contacts with the Chinese authorities since the shotting of the ball, but said that no “discussion” had not taken place on the reprogramming of the visit of the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in China.
“Even in these times of increased tensions, we want to have the opportunity to take the phone and discuss,” he said to the press, reiterating that the United States wanted to “maintain” a dialogue with Beijing. He still clarified that the United States was in contact with its allies and partners to inform them of the information gathered around the alleged Chinese spy ball.