China says it reserves right to respond to downing of surveillance balloon
The balloon's flight over the U.S. added tension to the U.S.-China relationship.
A massive Chinese surveillance balloon that moved across the continental U.S. this week has been shot down.
The Pentagon has confirmed the balloon was being used for surveillance, disputing China's claim that it was a civilian aircraft used for meteorological purposes. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the balloon didn't pose a physical or military threat, and once it was detected, the U.S. took steps to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information.
The FBI is expected to take custody of any recovered components of the balloon and ship them to its lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis and intelligence gathering, a senior government official told ABC News.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a planned trip to China as the balloon's presence over the continental U.S. added new tension to the U.S.-China relationship. Blinken called the balloon a "clear violation" of U.S. sovereignty and international law.
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US may wait to shoot balloon down over the Atlantic: US official
As the balloon appears to be heading toward North Carolina, the current thinking is to wait until it is over the Atlantic Ocean to then try to shoot it down and retrieve it, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with the situation.
There is too great a risk to try to shoot it down over the continental U.S., the official said. Since the U.S. wants to keep the balloon to study it, and there are otherwise risks of an international incident, U.S. officials are working on plans to shoot it down so that it also lands in U.S. territorial waters, the official said.
A substantial localized airspace shutdown will likely be required in order to protect civilians while the U.S. tries to down the balloon, which is likely being navigated via Chinese spy satellites, the official said.
-ABC News' Josh Margolin
’Job One’ is getting balloon out of US airspace: Blinken
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, taking questions about the Chinese surveillance balloon, said the first step should be getting it out of U.S. skies.
"Job One is getting it out of our airspace," he said.
Blinken said they've made it clear to China the action is "clearly unacceptable" and addressed further his decision to delay traveling to Beijing until conditions allow for a visit.
"Any country that has its airspace violated in this way, I think would respond similarly," he said. "And I can only imagine what the reaction would be in China if they were on the other end."
Blinken calls Chinese balloon an 'irresponsible act' on eve of his planned trip
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the surveillance balloon an "irresponsible act" by the People's Republic of China.
Blinken said he made clear to Wang Yi, the director of China's Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, that the balloon's presence is "a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law ... and that the PRC's decision to take this action on the eve of my planned visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have."
Blinken postponed his first official trip to China amid the controversy.
The secretary of state said his team had been engaging "for some time" with their counterparts in Beijing to prepare but have now "concluded that conditions were not conducive for a constructive visit at this time."
The remarks were made Friday during a joint press availability with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin at the State Department.
Biden first briefed Tuesday, took military’s recommendation on balloon: WH
President Joe Biden was first briefed about the Chinese surveillance balloon on Tuesday, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, two days before the news was publicly confirmed by U.S. officials.
"He asked the military to present options," she told reporters in a gaggle on Air Force One. "It was the strong recommendation by Secretary Austin, Chairman Milley, the commander of Northern Command, not to take kinetic action because of the risk to safety and security of the people on the ground. President Biden took that recommendation from the military seriously."
"The president will always put the safety of the security of the American people first," she said.
Jean-Pierre said Biden continues to receive regular briefings from national security team, and that he "agreed" with Secretary of State Blinken's decision to delay his trip to China.
"We are tracking closely and keeping all options on the table," the press secretary said.
Biden again ignores questions on Chinese balloon
President Joe Biden didn’t answer questions reporters shouted about the Chinese surveillance balloon as he left the White House and boarded Marine One shortly after 1 p.m. Friday.
Biden has yet to publicly comment on the balloon since it was confirmed to be flying over the continental U.S. by officials on Thursday.
Biden is heading to Philadelphia, where he and Vice President Kamala Harris will appear at an infrastructure event in the afternoon and then later will speak at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting.