The Chinese balloon was shot down. While the debris is being recovered, speculation about the background is running in the United States. All information in the news ticker.
- “No Danger” after launch: US State Department spokeswoman calls for professional handling
- balloon also about Costa Rica sighted: China expresses regret
- Weight of the alleged Spy Balloons: It weighed as much as an airplane
- This News ticker to the developments around the balloon launch is continuously updated.
Update from February 8, 6:47 a.m.: US President Joe Biden has threatened Beijing to take decisive action after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over the United States. “As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country,” Biden said in his State of the Union address before the US Congress on Tuesday evening (local time). “And let’s be clear: winning the competition should unite us all.”
Extensive surveillance program in Beijing? Report approaches spy balloon speculation
Update from February 8, 6:34 a.m.: According to a report by the Washington Post, the suspected spy balloon shot down by the United States from China is part of Beijing’s extensive surveillance program. Such balloons have been collecting information about military installations in countries and areas that are of strategic interest to China for years, the newspaper reported on Tuesday evening (local time), citing US intelligence circles.
These included, for example, Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines. The balloons would operate in part from the coast of the southern Chinese island of Hainan. So far they have been sighted on five continents.
“No danger” after shooting: US State Department spokeswoman calls for professional handling
Update from February 7, 9:50 a.m.: China has stepped up its criticism of the US for launching the suspected spy balloon. “He posed no threat to any person or to US national security,” said State Department spokeswoman Mao Ning. The US should deal with such incidents “in a calm and professional manner” without resorting to violence. But they had decided differently, which was a “clear overreaction”.
When asked whether China wanted to demand the return of the balloon, the spokeswoman said only: “The airship does not belong to the United States.” The government in Beijing will uphold the legitimate interests and rights of the Chinese side, said Mao Ning, without giving details. The day before, there was also talk of companies, which was supposed to indirectly indicate any civilian owners of the balloon. To the balloon over Costa Rica the spokeswoman declined to comment further.
The US is recovering the debris of the balloon from the Atlantic off the coast of South Carolina in order to gain more information about the mission using the equipment on board. A return to China is not intended. US National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in response to a question in Washington: “I am not aware of any such intent or any plans to return it.”
February 7 update at 8:56 am: After sighting the first balloon over the United States, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his trip to Beijing. It would have been his first visit to China in more than four years. Both sides had previously indicated their interest in stabilizing the badly damaged relationship with the talks.
China is now portraying itself as a victim of the domestic political infighting in the US. The launch did not end the balloon affair, as US politicians continued their rhetoric about a “Chinese threat” and fueled the political dispute between Republicans and Democrats – regardless of the Effects on relations with China, lamented the party organ people’s newspaper published Global Times.
After balloon launch: USA does not want a conflict with China
February 7 update at 8:25 am: After the balloon was launched, the US government wants to avoid aggravating relations with China. “There is no reason for the tensions in our bilateral relationship to escalate into some sort of conflict,” said John Kirby, communications director for the U.S. government’s U.S. National Security Council. The US acted in accordance with international law to launch the balloon over its territory.
Balloon also sighted over Costa Rica: China expresses regret
February 7 update at 7:12 a.m: A Chinese balloon has also been sighted over Costa Rica. The Chinese Embassy in San Jose regrets the incident, the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry said on Monday evening (February 6). The balloon is for scientific purposes only and posed no danger. The embassy said he had left because of the weather conditions.
It was initially unclear whether the flying object was the same balloon that was previously seen over Colombia or whether it was another balloon.
Weight of suspected spy balloon: It weighed as much as an airplane
First report from February 6th: Washington – After the US military shot down the Chinese observation balloon over the Atlantic, details of the flying object have become known. The balloon was around 61 meters high and probably weighed as much as a small airliner, according to the responsible US authorities.
It was also only shot above the water because it was feared that glass from solar panels or potentially dangerous material, for example from batteries, could have fallen down. It was also expected that explosives would detonate and the balloon could have been destroyed. Launching over water prevented debris from damaging people and/or infrastructure.
New details about the suspected espionage balloon: the debris is being salvaged
The debris is currently being salvaged off the coast of South Carolina. “Trying to recover as much of the Chinese high-altitude balloon as possible,” said US Northern Command commander Glen VanHerck. “First and foremost for the safety of the people in the region, but also to evaluate it and use it in every possible way”.
The naval survey ship Pathfinder used, among other things, sonar technology to measure the debris field. The entire field has an approximate size of 1500 by 1500 meters. Due to the swell, the work under water was initially made more difficult. The operation takes place at a depth of around 15 meters, said VanHerck on Monday.
When asked about plans to return the recovered material to China, National Security Council communications director John Kirby said: “I am not aware of any such intention or any plans to return it.”
Video: This is how the Chinese spy balloon works
Expert sees airspace violation: “Balloon moved far beyond controlled airspace”
The US had shot down a balloon that had been flying over the US for days with a rocket on Sunday off the Atlantic coast of South Carolina. China was accused of using the balloon to spy on important military installations. The government in Beijing, on the other hand, spoke of a research balloon that was far off course due to the westerly wind drift and insufficient control options.
![Balloon over USA](https://www.merkur.de/bilder/2023/02/06/92072424/30826412-ballon-ueber-den-usa-P6BG.jpg)
Lawyer Moritz Heile, who specializes in air traffic law, sees the Chinese behavior as an airspace violation. After all, the Chinese balloon flew in US airspace without permission. It doesn’t matter whether this is due to “emergency situations, navigation errors, bad weather conditions, espionage, provocation or threats”, he told IPPEN.MEDIA on request.
The balloon, which has since been shot down, also flew at an altitude of about 18 kilometers, i.e. a good seven kilometers higher than passenger aircraft usually do. He was “far beyond the controlled airspace in which civil airspace surveillance is guaranteed,” said the expert. (as/dpa)
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