On February 1, a very large balloon was spotted over the US state of Montana; the balloon was determined to have originated in China. Why exactly China would resort to flying a balloon over US airspace remains somewhat of a mystery. The US allowed the balloon to fly across the country and then shot it down
The wreckage has now been recovered by American authorities who have announced the balloon was designed to gather intelligence as it flew across. China has continued to assert it was a weather balloon that had strayed off its intended course.
This incident comes at a time when US-China relations are already extremely tense. The US feels China’s growth and assertive posture in many parts of the world is a threat to American security and commercial interests. China on the other hand appears in no mood to apologize for its economic and technological progress. Read more…