On February 4th, a supposed Chinese spy balloon was spotted flying over US territory. Following the sighting, a US F-22 Raptor fighter jet shot down the balloon under the orders of Joe Biden. The incident sparked a lot of discussion at the time, with speculation that China was using it to spy on the United States. However, it appears that the reality is much less interesting than portrayed: the Chinese balloon did not spy on anything.
The Chinese spy balloon that alerted the entire United States
It’s likely that you are aware of the strained relations between China and the United States. And if that wasn’t enough, the following situation only managed to cause even more tension. During the month of February, a Chinese balloon was discovered flying over the northern part of the United States. While it is not the first time similar devices have been seen in US skies, this one caught attention because it was visible even from the ground.
The US Department of Defense immediately pointed to China as the responsible party for the balloon. And they were right: China itself eventually admitted that it was theirs. After the order to shoot it down, the US government retrieved the remains of the fallen device (which was located in the Atlantic Ocean) and detected sensors and technology intended for electronic communication.
However, China vehemently denied that the balloon was intended for espionage or similar activities. The explanation given by the Asian giant was that it was a simple weather balloon that had lost its course. These claims were of little use to the United States, which insisted that it was a spying device. The balloon was capable of recording videos and taking photos to later transmit the data to China. However, the truth is that the device did not contain any information and did not send anything anywhere.
During a press conference, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, spokesperson for the Pentagon, confirmed that the balloon did not gather any information while flying over the United States. Was China telling the truth? Could it be that the United States may have overreacted a bit to the situation? The reality is that this incident has generated great paranoia among American citizens and has not exactly improved the relations between the United States and China.
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