The United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast on February 4th, causing tensions to escalate between the two countries. The balloon was reportedly first spotted over Montana on February 1st and entered US airspace on Saturday, violating international law. The US President Joe Biden ordered the Pentagon to shoot down the balloon to avoid any potential harm to people on the ground. Foreign policy experts believe this event is not good for the relationship between the US and China and will have implications for the two countries’ economies, which are intertwined.
China has claimed that the balloon in question was a civilian balloon used for studying weather patterns, however, US experts have stated that the balloon was a sophisticated technology package being used for intelligence collection. China has referred to the US’ decision as a “serious overreaction” and a violation of international practice.
The incident has also caused the Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to postpone his trip to China where he was expected to try to ease tensions between the two countries. However, China has stated that there was never any official announcement of the meeting and the US’ decision not to have the Defense Secretary meet with Chinese officials is their own business.
The shooting down of the balloon also temporarily closed the airspace near the Carolina coast, causing flight delays and reroutes for travelers. The Federal Aviation Administration has since lifted the restriction and flights are operating normally. Additionally, reports of a second suspected spy balloon flying over Latin America have been acknowledged by the Pentagon, but there is no confirmation at this time.
