Key Takeaways:
- The US Government ordered the Pentagon to destroy the alleged Chinese spy balloon
- The US Air Force shot down the balloon with a single missile as it drifted over the Atlantic Ocean
- China hit back at the decision, threatening a strong retaliation
YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — Over the last few days, China and the United States have been caught in a diplomatic crisis after the US Department of Defense spotted an alleged Chinese spy balloon in the country’s airspace. Amid increasing pressure and criticism from political opponents, the Biden Administration finally shot down the balloon. Now Beijing has threatened to retaliate for the move.
“The US used force to attack our civilian unmanned airship, which is an obvious overreaction. We express solemn protest against this move by the US side and reserve the right to use necessary means to deal with similar situations,”
China’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said in a statement.
The Biden Administration caves into domestic pressure
The Chinese balloon dominated domestic and international news after citizens saw it hovering freely over the state of Montana. What shocked many was the fact that the balloon had entered US territory undetected and was collecting data. It remained in US air for over 5 days, without the Pentagon taking any measures to counter it.
As CoinChapter earlier reported, President Joe Biden had refused to shoot it down, citing risks for the state’s population. According to Pentagon, shooting down the Chinese spy balloon could cause burning debris to fall, causing potential risks.
Nonetheless, President Biden had promised to “deal with” the balloon after Republican lawmakers accused him of undermining the country’s national security.
Kevin McCarthy, the newly-elected Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives, slammed the Government for refusing to defend the country’s interests.
“First Biden refused to defend our borders. Now he won’t defend our skies,”
McCarthy, said.
President Biden has faced a lot of criticism when it comes to China. Republicans have accused him of being too soft against Beijing. Some have even sighted personal reasons for this.
Last month, reports emerged that the Biden Center for Diplomacy at the University of Pennsylvania had direct links with China. The President’s Think Tank allegedly received millions of dollars in donations from anonymous Chinese businesses.
Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, had also come under the scanner for his alleged involvement with dubious Chinese businessmen. He had made millions in his dealing with them, raising questions about the father-son’s love for Communist China.
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Joe Biden shoots down spy balloon amid Beijing’s protest
Faced with strong criticism, the Biden Administration waited for the opportune moment to take the call. After the balloon drifted off the US coast over the Atlantic Ocean, the Government ran out of excuses. It could no longer claim that the falling debris could harm people on the ground.
Hence, President Biden “ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down”. An F-22 fighter jet of the US Air Force fired a single missile (an AIM-9X Sidewinder) and brought the balloon down. According to officials, the military is currently working on recovering the debris to know what data it collected.
“In accordance with the President’s direction, the Department of Defense developed options to take down the balloon safely over our territorial waters…Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first,”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
China, however, slammed the move. Beijing, which had earlier claimed that the balloon was a civilian one and not military, promised to defend the company that had released it.
“The U.S. use of force is 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,”
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
China fires head of the weather service. No the spy balloon isn’t why
Following the incident, Beijing fired Zhuang Guotai, the chief of China’s national weather service. The decision, wildly seen as a face-saving move, comes at a time when Xi Jinping insists that the balloon ended up in US airspace by accident.
However, Zhuang was scheduled to leave the weather service anyways. He had already won a late January election to lead the western Gansu province’s People’s Political Consultative Committee.
China wants to show that it is ready to punish people behind the force majeure event. However, the move was nothing but gimmicks.
With both the Biden Administration and the Chinese Government playing games, one should hope that the fallout from this is not severe. After all, Beijing has promised to retaliate. Exactly what forms that retaliation will be it is too early to determine.
On the contrary, if the US Government finds sensitive data in the device, the Biden Administration will come under fresh pressure to hit back. Is a war becoming all but inevitable?
