‘Not the first time’ a Chinese surveillance balloon passed over U.S.: ambassador – National | 24CA News

The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that handed over the U.S. — and in keeping with sources, frolicked in Canadian airspace — late this week was not the primary to encroach on American airspace, in keeping with U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen.

On the heels of U.S. stories of the suspected spy balloon, Canadian defence officers confirmed on Thursday night time {that a} high-altitude surveillance balloon was being actively tracked by NORAD.

Sources had advised Global News the surveillance balloon frolicked in Canadian airspace, however the particulars of when and for the way lengthy haven’t been made clear by Canadian authorities.

Meanwhile, Canadian pilots flying over the Prairie provinces and Ontario had been warned to be looking out for an “untethered balloon” on Thursday night time — warnings that got here because the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was additionally reported in American airspace.

“This is not the first time that this type of a device has been floated over the United States,” Cohen stated, talking in an interview with The West Block host Mercedes Stephenson, aired Sunday.

“It has happened previously.”

In truth, hovering surveillance makes an attempt from each China and Russia are an everyday incidence, the ambassador defined.

“They have low-altitude satellites that are constantly taking pictures of all of the United States and of all of Canada, for that matter,” Cohen stated.

The Department of National Defence didn’t reply to questions on Friday asking whether or not such a balloon has entered Canadian airspace earlier than, and what number of instances if that’s the case.

While some observers warned that the suspected surveillance balloon may have photographed nuclear missile amenities, Cohen added, that wouldn’t be something new.

“Those nuclear missile facilities are all readily observable by satellites that are constantly rotating the earth and taking pictures of the United States,” he stated.

1:00U.S. says taking pictures down Chinese surveillance balloon ‘was an option’ earlier than it entered its airspace

Onlookers would even be “wrong” to assume the balloon represents any form of vital escalation from China, Cohen went on to say, including that they “just haven’t heard about it before.”

Rather, the incident must be handled as a reminder to be “vigilant” in relation to China.

“China is not a country to be trifled with,” Cohen stated. “China is a is a potential threat and needs to be watched all the time.”

The Canadian authorities has additionally upped its rhetoric towards China in current months.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly unveiled the nation’s Indo-Pacific technique in November, which labelled China an “increasingly disruptive global power.”

Earlier that very same month, Joly warned Canadians doing business in China to think about the “geopolitical risks” concerned with that selection.

Cohen stated the United States was happy to see the more durable tack Canada has began taking up China.

“The United States is comfortable with where Canada is with China,” he stated.

“I think we all heard tougher rhetoric, a greater sense of the threats that China played to Canada and to North America. And frankly, I think we heard an articulation of a policy that was very close to the policy that the United States has adopted vis-a-vis China.”

Meanwhile, within the wake of the suspected spy balloon’s look in American skies, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a deliberate go to to Beijing this weekend.

On Friday, Blinken confirmed he had knowledgeable his Chinese counterpart that he was suspending the journey “in light of China’s unacceptable action.”

China’s international ministry stated on Friday that the balloon was for civilian meteorological and different scientific functions, and that it regrets that the airship strayed into U.S. airspace. It added that it’s going to proceed to take care of communications with the United States to correctly deal with the surprising scenario.

“I’m not sure I believe that it’s gathering weather data, but it’s entirely possible that it drifted off course and that it was never any intention to have it flying over, you know, over this part of this part of the United States,” Cohen advised Stephenson.

But, regardless, the ambassador stated folks ought to “not jump out of our shoes here.”

“This is a balloon that was at very high altitude. My information is that … no American citizens or buildings were ever in jeopardy for this. The balloons were well above commercial airliner flight patterns,” Cohen stated.

“And this is not the first time that this type of a device has been floated over the United States.”

— with recordsdata from Global News Aaron D’Andrea, Sean Boynton

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