Student opinion – The mystery of The Chinese balloon in the sky

A Chinese balloon was shot down earlier this month for flying over the U.S. and Canada. China claims it was a weather balloon, but the White House has suspicions that it could have been a spy balloon used to gather classified information. In the midst of this, there have been several other unidentified objects in the sky above both the U.S. and Canada — two of which were shot down — that have raised concerns. 

According to the New Yorker, this would not be the first time China has used balloons to spy on other nations. They have allegedly been doing this as part of a balloon surveillance program, which China denies. The other unidentified objects in the sky have not been linked to China and were likely used privately for research. 

The leader of China, President Xi Jinping, has become extremely powerful during his time in office and appears to be interested in moving his military in a new direction. Many of the past leaders in China have made strides to create a stronger and more modern military. These balloons could be a part of its new program.

However, there could be danger if the U.S. and Canada are, in fact, overreacting to what could have been a simple weather balloon. Ties with China have already been strained, and they would make a damaging enemy. The U.S. has put itself at risk by being so quick to accuse China of wrongdoing. 

In response to the accusations, China stated that the “weather balloon” drifted into North America, and the U.S. should have responded in a calm and professional manner. They expressed dissatisfaction with the way the U.S. handled the situation, according to ABC News. If it comes out that China is telling the truth, America will have to apologize. 

It is most likely, however, that it was a spy balloon, considering that this was not the first time China has done this. According to The New York Times, Chinese spy balloons have been spotted in 40 countries in the past few years and are produced by companies that officially sell to the Chinese military. The balloon passed through North America by crossing into Alaska and then making its way across Canada, down through Montana and then on to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where it was shot down. 

It was being tracked by the U.S. government, who watched the suspicious patterns of the balloon before shooting it down. The balloon was very large: around 200 feet tall, according to CBS News. It had suspicious equipment on board, which could have been used for gathering intelligence. 

The balloon also had propellers and antenna for geo-location on it, which makes it highly unlikely that the balloon drifted by accident. Diving teams worked on recovering the balloon’s debris.

The other unidentified objects the U.S. shot down did not seem to threaten security or military, but they could have been harmful to civilian flights. The objects were also much smaller. Nonetheless, the Department of Defense continues to take every potential threat seriously.

According to CNN, the balloon moved over sensitive areas in Montana, but the DOD was able to block the balloon from receiving much information. They state that they believe China used the balloon to spy.

So, what should the next steps be for the nations involved? The U.S. should attempt to lower the tension with China, and China should work on repairing the damage done to its relationship with the U.S. by the balloon, accident or not. 

Carter is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion