Shot down balloon US official "Some of the wreckage will be recovered, not handed over to China"

A senior White House official said that after a Chinese balloon was shot down by US forces, some of the wreckage had been recovered from the sea.

They said they have no plans to hand over the collected wreckage to the Chinese side.

On the 4th, the US military shot down a Chinese balloon that crossed the mainland of the United States in the territorial waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and is currently recovering the wreckage.

Kirby, the White House Strategic Communications Coordinator, told reporters on the 6th that some of the wreckage floating at sea had already been recovered.

The recovery work is still ongoing, but there are no plans to hand over the collected wreckage to the Chinese side.

Kirby also said, "President Biden's view that the relationship between the United States and China is very important remains unchanged. We are in a strategic competitive relationship with China and do not want a conflict." I emphasized that my attitude has not changed.

In addition, he reiterated that he would like to conduct the postponed visit to China by Secretary of State Brinken, if the situation permits.

On the other hand, China has objected to the United States over the shooting down, saying that it is "clearly excessive", but Coordinator Kirby countered, "We dealt with it calmly and professionally."

US military commander says payload weighs over 900kg

President Sullivan, who is in charge of security policy at the White House in the United States, said on the 6th that the balloon was shot down after it crossed the mainland of the United States and went offshore, saying, ``The military is more concerned with President Biden than on the ground. He suggested that it would be easier to collect wreckage and collect information by shooting down with , "he explained that in addition to avoiding damage on the ground, it was intended for recovery work.

General Van Haak, the commander of the Northern Command, who is responsible for the defense of the mainland US, told reporters that the balloon was about 60 meters high and weighed more than 900 kilograms.

In addition, Commander Vanhak was asked by reporters why he did not shoot down the balloon after it was confirmed that it had entered the air defense identification zone north of the Aleutian Islands on the 28th of last month. "My assessment was that I did not pose a serious threat. I was not able to take immediate action because I did not engage in hostile acts or show intent."