Evgenia Sokolenko21:25, 04.02.23

The political backlash over the spy balloon threatens to undermine both countries’ efforts to mend their rocky relationship.

In the US, they decided to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon . For this, the airspace off the coast of the states of South and North Carolina was closed. Airports have also been suspended. 

The US Navy vessel USS Carter Hall prepares to fish debris from the water after intercepting the object,  euro weeklynews reports .

As you know, Beijing admitted that the hot air balloon was created in China. However, they claim that this is just a meteorological plane that has lost its course. At the same time, the Pentagon rejects such a statement and emphasizes that this is a reconnaissance ship.

Implications for US-China Relations

The political uproar over an alleged Chinese spy balloon drifting over the United States has not only derailed a planned visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, but also threatens to undermine both countries’ efforts to mend their rocky relationship.

The United States’ response to what looks like a Chinese spy mission will have long-term implications for efforts to stabilize relations, which are already close to historic lows. Some US lawmakers are demanding that President Biden hold China accountable for what officials are calling “an unacceptable violation of US sovereignty.”

Blinken, who postponed the trip, which was due to start on Friday and be the secretary’s first visit to China since 2018, said he would be ready to visit Beijing “when conditions permit.”

Ties between the superpowers have weakened over the past few years and reached the height of tension in decades last August, when then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, prompting Beijing to conduct military exercises near the island China claims as its territory. Since then, the Biden administration has said it hopes to create a framework for the relationship and ensure that the rivalry doesn’t escalate into conflict.

Chinese espionage against the US

On the eve of the Pentagon said that  a huge balloon appeared over the territory of the northern part of the United States . 

The Pentagon later reported another Chinese reconnaissance balloon . He was spotted over Latin America. The representative of the department did not indicate the exact location of the ball, but assured that there were no signs of its movement towards the United States yet.

(C)UNIAN 2023