Chinese Spy Balloon Revelations Prompts Biden Administration to React
Posted on 02/05/2023
U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the action on February 1, 2023 through U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III to have the U.S. Air Force to take down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon. The spy balloon already swept through the continental U.S. gathering intelligence data about U.S. defenses, prompting a reaction from Republicans and former U.S. defense officials. Its presence over U.S. airspace prompted a diplomatic dispute between Washington and Beijing.
“The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said.
An F-22 Raptor deployed from Langley Air Force Base shot down the Chinese balloon out of the sky off the coast of South Carolina with a single Aim-9X Sidewinder missile.
The Chinese claimed the balloon was meant for observing weather conditions. The Chinese government changed its posture from expressing regret to threatening retaliation over the U.S.’s spy-balloon claims.
The Chinese foreign ministry on February 5, 2023, called the decision to shoot down the balloon “a clear overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”
“China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the company concerned, and reserves the right to make further responses if necessary,” a statement by the foreign ministry said.
Biden vs. Trump Again
Both the U.S. and China have surveilled each other for quite some time. Biden officials claimed that the Chinese launched the balloons in U.S. territory during the Trump administration. However, former U.S. President Trump and top national security officials from his administration said that did not occur. They then criticized the Biden administration for spreading disinformation.
“This never happened. It would have never happened,” Trump told Fox News Digital on February 5, 2023. “It never happened with us under the Trump administration and if it did, we would have shot it down immediately,” Trump said. “It’s disinformation.”
