The United States military shot down a Chinese balloon off the Carolina coast over the Atlantic on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
“An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and estimated to be about the size of three school buses,” AP reported. “Before the downing, President Joe Biden had said earlier Saturday, ‘We’re going to take care of it,’ when asked by reporters about the balloon. The Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below.”
The U.S. has said it believes the high-altitude balloon was a part of a surveillance operation, something China has denied.
“The airship is from China,” a spokesperson for the country’s foreign ministry said Friday. “It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation.”
The U.S. first detected the balloon over the state of Montana earlier in the week, leading Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel his planned trip to China as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
As Jake Werner of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft wrote Friday, members of Congress have “used the incident to hype fears about China,” citing House China Select Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher’s (R-Wis.) claim that the balloon posed “a threat to American sovereignty” and “a threat to the Midwest.”
Werner stressed that “foreign surveillance of sensitive U.S. sites is not a new phenomenon,” nor is “U.S. surveillance of foreign countries.”
“The toxic politics predominating in Washington seems to have convinced the Biden administration to further restrict communications with Beijing by calling off Blinken’s trip,” Werner added. “Letting war hawks set America’s agenda on China can only end in disaster. Conflict is not inevitable, but avoiding a disastrous U.S.-China military confrontation will require tough-minded diplomacy—not disengagement.”, Read More
The satirical Babylon Bee in its Biden Says He’ll Shoot Down Chinese Spy Balloon As Soon As He’s Done Letting It Spy, has another take on the matter:
Via The Babylon Bee U.S. – Americans are up in arms after a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon was seen hovering over sensitive nuclear sites in Montana. Biden was quick to quell fears, vowing to shoot down the hostile balloon as soon as he’s done letting it spy.
“Listen folks, that balloon came a long way to do a little spyin’,” said Biden in a meeting with military leaders. “Would be a shame to shoot the poor thing down before it even gets a chance to take some pictures! I remember when me and the boys used to spy on Suzie Anne McGillicutty through her bedroom window after a long day of protesting the civil rights movement. It’s all in good fun, folks!”
According to anonymous sources, several Pentagon officials asked how soon they would be able to knock the balloon out of the sky, insisting it was a matter of national security.
“Come on, man! I’ll let you shoot it down. Just let me check to make sure the Chinese have what they need and that the million-dollar check for Hunter’s painting came through from my buddy Xi. Then, have at it, boys!”