Status: 07.02.2023 8:50 a.m
A similar missile has surfaced over Costa Rica after the suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down in the United States. The Chinese embassy regrets the incident and says it was an accident.
Another suspected Chinese spy balloon is apparently continuing its journey over Latin America. After sighting reports from Colombia and Venezuela, there are now reports from Costa Rica that a balloon has also been discovered in the airspace. It is unclear whether the sightings are of the same missile. The Central American country’s foreign ministry said the Chinese embassy in San Jose regretted the incident.
According to the embassy, the balloon is for scientific purposes only and, like the balloon in US airspace, went off course. The reason for the odyssey is the prevailing weather conditions and the generally poor maneuverability of the missile.
Suspected espionage strains bilateral relations
After the first incident involving a balloon over the United States, the State Department in Beijing had already admitted that a second civilian balloon had gone astray during an attempted flight and was flying over Latin America.
The US military shot down the first Chinese observation balloon over the Atlantic off the coast of South Carolina. Beijing criticized the act as an “obvious overreaction”. Washington, on the other hand, accused China of wanting to use the balloon to spy on military facilities.
The Chinese balloons appear at a bad time. The relationship between the USA and China is already tense, and the bilateral tone of voice between the two superpowers is becoming increasingly cold. One tries to de-escalate, but accuses one another of aggression by pointing fingers at one another.
China sees itself as a victim
After the balloon was discovered over the United States last week, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken canceled his trip to Beijing. It would have been the first visit by a US Secretary of State to China in more than four years. Both sides had previously indicated their interest in using Blinken’s talks in Beijing to stabilize the badly battered relationship.
China now sees itself as a victim of the domestic dispute in the US. The shooting down of the balloon would not have ended the affair, but fueled US politicians’ rhetoric about a “Chinese threat”.
“The US’s rude handling of the balloon incident is a serious provocation that risks derailing US-China relations,” the pro-state Chinese People’s Daily Global Times said.
USA want to examine balloon
After the balloon was shot down over the USA, the debris is being salvaged off the coast of South Carolina. Further details about the flying object were announced on Monday. The balloon was about 200 feet tall and probably weighed as much as a small airliner, said US Northern Command commander Glen VanHerck. The investigators want to salvage as much as possible – also to evaluate the devices on board.
The debris field has an approximate size of 1500 by 1500 meters, said VanHerck. Due to the swell, the work under water was initially made more difficult. The operation takes place in around 15 meters of water.