A second Chinese spy balloon was spotted hovering over Latin America just hours after the Pentagon accused Beijing of using a similar balloon to spy on sensitive military sites in the US.
Early reports indicated the surveillance craft was flying over Costa Rica, Colombia and Venezuela. Officials say the new balloon does not appear to be heading to America.
The US was tracking another high-altitude Chinese balloon that was spotted flying over Missouri and sensitive areas of Montana – where nuclear warheads are siloed – prompting the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence.
China insisted the balloon is an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds.
However, the US rejected that out of hand and Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled his high-stakes trip to Beijing, telling a senior Chinese diplomat that sending the balloon over the US was ‘an irresponsible act’.
