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Using underwater drones, warships and inflatable boats, the US Navy is conducting an extensive operation to collect all pieces of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by a US fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday.
In the latest images released by the Navy on Tuesday, sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 are seen leaning on a rigid-hulled inflatable boat and pulling away swaths of the white outer fabric and balloon-shell structure.
The head of the US Northern Command, General Glen VanHerck, said that the team was taking precautions to guard against the chance that any part of the balloon was rigged with explosives.
The balloon was about 60 meters tall and carried a long sensor package below, which VanHerck estimated was the size of a small regional jet.
Political turmoil
The US Coast Guard has imposed a temporary security zone in the waters off South Carolina during the military search for debris from the balloon.
The Navy is using the ship to map and scan the seabed for all the remaining parts of the balloon, so that US analysts can get a full picture of what kind of sensors the Chinese are using and to better understand how the balloon can maneuver.
US President Joe Biden told reporters that the balloon had to be shot down and brushed aside questions about whether the incident would damage US-China relations.
“No. We have made it clear to China what we are going to do,” he said. “They know our position. We will not back down. We are doing the right thing and it is not a matter of weakness or strengthening – it is a fact.”
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the balloon flight in the United States did nothing to improve already strained relations with China and rejected Beijing’s claim that it was for meteorological purposes.
The appearance of the Chinese balloon caused a political uproar in the United States and was asked by the top diplomat of the US, Antony Blinken, to cancel the February 5-6 trip to Beijing, which the two countries hope will calm Rocky’s relationship.
“After coming to the United States from Canada, I told the Department of Defense that I wanted to fire them as soon as it was appropriate,” Biden told reporters over the weekend. “He concluded… we shouldn’t shoot down on land. It’s not a serious threat and we should wait until we cross the water.”
Beijing condemned the balloon shooting as a “clear reaction” and called on Washington to exercise restraint.
When asked on Tuesday whether China had asked the United States to return debris from the downed balloon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said the balloon belonged to China.
“This balloon is not America. The Chinese government will continue to defend its legitimate rights and interests,” he said in a regular presser.
Mao also said he did not have more information about what equipment the balloon was carrying.
Recovery can provide insight into a spy’s abilities
Debris from the balloon was scattered in about 15 meters of water, but it spanned an area of 15 football fields and 15 soccer fields, VanHerck said.
US officials have downplayed the balloon’s impact on national security, but say a successful recovery could give the United States insight into China’s spying capabilities.
Kirby said the United States was able to study the balloon while it was aloft and officials hoped to gain valuable intelligence about the operation by capturing many of its components.
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