f you have TikTok, you might have seen a video of a Chinese “spy balloon” being shot down, possibly accompanied by the screech of a bald eagle. While shooting down Chinese surveillance technology may appear to be a simple act of American patriotism, the reality is much more complicated.
America’s relationship with China is at a low point, mainly because of competition to become the dominant world superpower. This tension involves a struggle for the best technology, strengthening or weakening ties with allies, and a general sense of suspicion by both governments. The drama surrounding the “spy balloon” caused a diplomatic crisis that led to the cancellation of a diplomatic trip to China by the U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken.
After investigating, the U.S. government found that the downed balloon had flown over forty countries on five continents and has spent a week in North American airspace. The Biden administration described the balloon as part of a global surveillance fleet directed by China’s military. Despite the Chinese government maintaining that the balloon was a civilian meteorological device, the U.S. government has found it “was clearly for intelligence surveillance and inconsistent with the equipment on board weather balloons.” It is undecided whether the balloon was charted to float over military bases or whether it was by chance or even malfunction.
Balloons are used less frequently than airplanes, but they cost much less and are certainly considered important in the Chinese-American technology struggle. The United States has also used its fair share of spy planes and balloons. In the Cold War, the U.S. sent spy planes to fly over the USSR, and many countries have used and continue to use aircraft surveillance. But, relating to Chinese aircraft, the U.S. government has discovered at least five Chinese spy balloons in American territory, three during the Trump administration and two during the Biden administration.
The 2023 balloon has definitely garnered the most attention in what one New York Times guest author coined “The Great Spy Balloon Freakout.” The author, David Ropeik, believes that this incident blew up because it created so much fear, especially about the possibility of nuclear war. Additionally, the balloons have been reported as mysterious, and the uncertainty doesn’t aid in resolving any of the fear.
What does this “spy balloon” mean in the greater context of US-China relations? The tensions between the two countries appear to constantly increase, but will they ever come to a head and culminate in violence? It’s hard to draw any conclusions about the balloons and whether or not we will see them in the headlines in the future.