AIn the end everything went quickly. On Saturday afternoon, government officials in Washington confirmed that the American military shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina over the Atlantic. The news channel CNN showed pictures of the object being shot down on the east coast. American fighter jets shot down the balloon. The FAA had previously instructed the airports in Wilmington, North Carolina, Charleston, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to cease flight operations.
At the end of last week, when the object was over the American mainland, the Pentagon advised President Joe Biden not to shoot it down – given the danger posed by falling debris. It was later said the Pentagon was sticking to the option of bringing the balloon down once it reached the ocean.
Biden himself only said on Saturday morning that the matter would be taken care of. After the launch, the US President said he had already given the order on Wednesday to launch the balloon as soon as possible. The Pentagon decided to wait until the balloon reached water. He praised the military for the successful action. Now the debris should be collected.
Unusual apology from Beijing
Beijing had – unusually – apologized for the incident on Friday. However, it was claimed that it was a civilian airship used for scientific purposes. It went off course because of the strong wind. It is “force majeure”. With the launch of the suspected spy balloon, US-Chinese relations have reached a new low.
The Department of Defense in Washington had previously pointed out that the damage to intelligence from the balloon was low. The balloon, which flies at an altitude of 60,000 feet and which crossed Canada from Alaska and then stayed over the American West for a longer period of time, is equipped with cameras and other surveillance technology. However, he cannot monitor anything that Chinese spy satellites cannot also capture. Several Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, had asked Biden to take the object out of the sky.
The balloon incident became a balloon affair in Washington when citizens of the state of Montana spotted a conspicuous object in the sky last week. The American military had been watching the balloon for days. The Pentagon then informed the public on Thursday that it was a Chinese spy balloon. The logic of the scandal took its course – the diplomatic apparatus did what should be done in such matters. And the party-political machines were also running hot: After all, China policy is at the center of American domestic politics.
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