Issued on:
US aviation authorities on Saturday closed down three airports in the eastern part of the country due to a “national security effort” as President Joe Biden promised “to take care” of a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the country.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said it had temporarily blocked civilian flights within 100 square miles over the Atlantic Ocean and around the South Carolina Coast, in order to “support the Department of Defense in a national security effort”.
The move potentially sets the stage for an operation to shoot down the balloon that has drifted over the US in recent days, further straining ties with Beijing.
In a document posted on its website, the FAA notice warned the military could use deadly force if airplanes violate the restrictions and do not comply with orders to leave.
Asked by reporters to comment on the balloon incident, President Joe Biden said, “We’re gonna take care of it.”
He did not elaborate.
The controversy erupted Thursday, when American officials said they were tracking a large Chinese “surveillance balloon” in US skies, but decided not to shoot it down over concerns of hurting people or property on the ground.
That led Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday to scrap a rare trip to Beijing.
After initial hesitation, Beijing admitted ownership of the “airship,” but said it was a weather balloon that had been blown off course, adding that it regretted the situation.
“The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement Friday.
“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure,” it said, using the legal term for an act outside of human control.
The balloon had flown over parts of the northwestern United States that are home to sensitive airbases and strategic nuclear missiles in underground silos, adding to concerns.
Another suspected Chinese spy balloon was seen over Latin America, the Pentagon said Friday, without providing specifics as to its location.
Biden made his comments in Syracuse, New York, where he was to spend several hours Saturday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
For all the latest health News Click Here
