US destroys Chinese spy ‘balloon’

China condemns US !

Washington DC/Beijing – The US has destroyed a Chinese ‘balloon’ (a large balloon) that was spying over its territory. After the balloon was spotted in US airspace, President Joe Biden ordered its destruction. Accordingly, the US Air Force destroyed it by firing a missile through an F-2 fighter plane. For this, the balloon was taken to the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, where a missile was fired at it. However, due to this incident, there is a possibility of tension in the political relations between America and China. Two days before the balloon was destroyed, China admitted that it was its balloon. Following that, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken cancelled his visit to China.

U.S. fighter jet shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon https://t.co/NJa7vi2A7X pic.twitter.com/JIMDHK5K2o

— Reuters U.S. News (@ReutersUS) February 5, 2023

After the US destroyed the balloon, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, ‘The US should have resolved this issue peacefully, but it destroyed our balloon. We condemn this incident. The US has violated international norms. China is determined to protect itself. Our balloon accidentally crossed the US border’. We have discussed this with the US many times. It was an accident. Our balloon posed no threat to the US military.

What is a spy balloon ?

Spy ‘balloons’ are a type of spying device. A surveillance camera is placed under a balloon that floats above a defined area, carried by the wind current. Equipment attached to the balloon may include radar and maybe solar powered. A balloon is less susceptible to suspicion. Balloons do not provide continuous surveillance like satellites, but information retrieval through them is easy. This launch is very cheap compared to satellite.