Yes, a second Chinese spy balloon is flying over the American continent. On Monday, Beijing confirmed the Chinese origin of the balloon currently flying over Latin America, at the same time as the United States mobilizes to recover the debris of a similar machine which it shot down over the weekend in its space. air.
Presented as a spy device by the Americans, this device, which “seriously deviated from its trajectory”, “is of a civilian nature and used for flight tests”, explained the Chinese authorities. “Under the effects of the climate and due to its limitations in terms of maneuverability, this balloon seriously deviated from its planned trajectory and became lost in the sky over Latin America and the Caribbean”, explained Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A balloon detected by the Americans
It was the US Department of Defense that spotted this second “Chinese surveillance balloon” on Friday, over Latin America this time. The Colombian Air Force later confirmed over the weekend that an object with ‘balloon characteristics’ had been detected and ‘monitored’ until it left the airspace national.
This balloon had aroused the discontent of the United States, which accused China of an “unacceptable violation” of their sovereignty. In particular, they postponed a planned trip to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. After shooting down the craft off the coast of South Carolina, the US Navy is currently conducting “recovery operations, with the assistance of the US Coast Guard to secure the area and maintain public safety”.