China's Spy Balloon Flying Over The US: F-22 Combat Jets Had Been Alerted, But It Was Recommended Not To Fall Down

Pentagon. (Wikimedia Commons/US Navy photo)

JAKARTA - A Chinese spy balloon suspected of having flown over the United States for several days, but senior US officials advised President Joe Biden not to shoot him for fear the debris could pose a safety threat, even though military assets had been mobilized.

Beijing and Washington are known to be'relas' spying on each other, amid rising tensions between superpowers.

"The United States government has detected and tracked high-altitude reconnaissance balloons over the current United States continent," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters.

"The candidate is currently flying at altitudes well above commercial air traffic and poses no military or physical threat to people on land," he explained.

Officials declined to say how high the balloons flew but acknowledged that the balloons were operating above civilian air traffic and below "outer wages".

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, while traveling to the Philippines, held a meeting of senior Pentagon officials on Wednesday to discuss the balloon incident.

A senior US defense official briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, saying the United States had had the balloon's "back-up" since entering US airspace a few days ago, observing it on US military aircraft.

He continued, US military leaders considered shooting down balloons over Montana on Wednesday, but ultimately advised President Joe Biden not to, because of the security risks of the debris.

Billings Airport, Montana issued a ground stop as the military mobilized assets including F-22 fighter jets if President Biden ordered the balloon to be shot down.

"We want to ensure that we coordinate with civilian authorities to vacate airspace around that potential area," the official said.

"But even with the protective measures taken, it was the decision of our military commander that we did not lower the risk low enough. So we didn't take any risks," he explained.

The official said the current flight path would carry balloons across a number of sensitive sites, but did not provide details.

To note, the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana is home to 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos.

The spy balloon has flown over the United States several times in recent years, but the balloon seems to last longer than ever, the official said.

"Currently, we consider that these balloons have limited additive value from the perspective of intelligence gathering, but we are still taking steps to protect sensitive intelligence gathering," the official said.

US officials immediately lifted the matter with their Chinese counterparts, via diplomatic channels in Beijing and in Washington.

"We have conveyed to them our seriousness in dealing with this issue," the official added.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

Separately, senator Marco Rubio, Republican at the top of the Senate intelligence committee said the spy balloon was worrying but not surprising.

"The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense and impudent over the past 5 years," Rubio said on Twitter.

It is known that China and the United States, the two largest economies in the world, have been experiencing tensions recently on various issues, ranging from clashes over Taiwan, China's human rights record and its military activities in the South China Sea.

If nothing goes wrong, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China in the coming days.