Balloon Diplomacy - The High-Altitude Spy Game Between US and China
Posted by Matthew James on
The US Navy is working to recover the wreckage of a Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. US fighter jets brought the craft down over US territorial waters on Saturday, and the debris is spread over a large area. The US believes the balloon was monitoring sensitive military sites, which led to a diplomatic crisis and the cancellation of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to China. The Chinese authorities have denied the balloon was used for spying, claiming it was a weather ship that was blown off course.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the former chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has rejected China's explanation and stated that the balloon was deliberately launched for intelligence purposes. He also rejected China's claim that it might have blown off course, as he said it was manoeuvrable due to the propellers on it.
The US President, Joe Biden, has been accused by Republican politicians of dereliction of duty for allowing the balloon to fly over the country. Mayor Brenda Bethune of Myrtle Beach, where the balloon was shot down, has expressed concern over the incident and hopes that the government will explain how it happened and how they will prevent it from happening again.
The high-altitude balloon, which was shot down by an F-22 fighter jet, was about the size of three buses. It was shot down over water to prevent putting people on the ground at risk. The remnants of the balloon landed in 47 feet of water and spread over seven miles.
The Chinese foreign ministry has expressed strong dissatisfaction and protest against the US's use of force against the balloon, and the Chinese government has said it will safeguard the rights and interests of the company operating the balloon.
Relations between the US and China have been strained by the incident, with the Pentagon calling it an "unacceptable violation" of US sovereignty. A second Chinese spy balloon has been spotted over Latin America, but China has not commented publicly on it.