Alleged espionage by China: What is known about the US balloon incident

A suspected spy balloon from China flew over US territory for days – now it has been shot down. What is known about the incident so far? How are the reactions? And what can such balloons actually do?

What happened?

A balloon that is said to be the size of three buses was in US airspace for several days. The Pentagon said it appeared over Alaska on January 28th, over Canada on January 30th and over the US state of Idaho on January 31st.

US President Joe Biden said he was informed on Wednesday – February 1st. The Pentagon made the sighting of the balloon public on Thursday evening. Among other things, the balloon was sighted in the US state of Montana near a US air force base, where ICBMs equipped with nuclear warheads are stored. On Saturday, eyewitnesses reported seeing the balloon in the eastern US state of North Carolina.

On Saturday evening German time, US fighter jets crashed the balloon off the Atlantic coast of South Carolina on Biden’s instructions. Biden told reporters on Saturday that he had given the order to shoot it down several days ago. He had already ordered on Wednesday to shoot down the flying object “as soon as possible”.

A risk for the people on the ground should be ruled out. Therefore, it was decided to shoot down the flying object only over the sea but within US sovereign territory. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said launching it over land would have been too dangerous due to the size and height of the balloon and its load.

Where does the balloon come from and what is its purpose?

It is undisputed that the balloon comes from China. There are different statements from both sides as to what purpose it should serve. The US accuses China of espionage with the balloon. China has tried to monitor strategic locations on the US mainland, US Secretary of Defense Austin said. At no time was there any danger to civil aviation in the USA. During its flyover, the US took immediate steps to prevent the balloon from collecting sensitive information and diminishing its intelligence value to China, it said.

China, on the other hand, spoke of a research balloon that had gone off course due to “force majeure” and could not be controlled. The balloon is not used for espionage, but for weather research, according to Beijing.

How is the US reacting?

Secretary of Defense Austin called the incident an “unacceptable violation” of US sovereignty. In response, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken canceled his visit to Beijing, which was actually expected for Sunday. He also described the balloon’s entry into US airspace as “unacceptable” and “irresponsible.” Blinken’s trip to China would have been the first visit by a US Secretary of State to the country since 2018.

According to media reports, Blinken should also have been received by China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping. Although the expectations of the visit were not high, there were hopes that it would calm the turbulent and difficult relations. Blinken underlined on Friday that the United States wanted to keep the communication channels to Beijing open and that the visit should be made up for soon “if conditions allow”.

How is China reacting?

After the incident was initially “regretted” in an unusually defensive manner, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman went on the offensive: “Some politicians and media in the US took advantage of the situation to attack China and bring it into disrepute.” The Chinese government has since expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the US use of force against a “civilian unmanned airship”. It is a “serious violation” of international practices.

China reserves the right to “necessary reactions,” said a foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing. China has repeatedly informed the United States that the balloon is for civilian purposes and that it flew over the United States “by force majeure, which was completely accidental.” The Pentagon itself said the balloon posed no threat to the military or people on the ground.

What’s next?

After the balloon was launched, a senior Pentagon official said recovery of the balloon was now in full swing. “It’s not clear how long it will take,” he said. The wreckage is in relatively shallow water, making recovery “pretty easy.” The United States hopes that the recovery of the equipment on board will provide more information about the purpose of the balloon. The damage to the intelligence service is considered to be rather small, it said.

What were the other reactions?

The first reactions came from the EU Parliament. In view of the incident, EPP Chairman Manfred Weber called for a unified Western strategy towards Beijing. It is obvious that Beijing’s behavior towards Western countries is becoming significantly more aggressive. According to Weber, the free world must join forces for a “violent systemic competition with China”.

What is known about a possible second balloon?

Colombia also informed on Saturday about an unknown object that had entered its airspace and had “similar properties to a balloon”. On the morning of February 3, the national air defense system discovered an object at an altitude of around 17,000 meters over the northern sector of the country, the Colombian air force said.

It presented “no threat to national security”. The Air Force is now working with other countries to determine the origin of the object. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in Washington on Friday that another possible spy balloon was hovering over Latin America. Initially, there was no information about the second balloon from Beijing.

What can observation balloons do in general?

Balloons are considered important observation platforms. Their use is not unusual. Unlike satellites, they can stay in one place and don’t have to make a new orbit around the earth to take more pictures, experts say. You could observe from a closer distance, are difficult to detect for radar. They could also intercept communications. The navigation options are significantly improved today, so that they no longer depend solely on the wind.