What exactly did China want to achieve by blowing up the balloons? High-altitude surveillance balloons are no longer sophisticated intelligence tools. However, the presence of such Chinese balloons in the skies over Montana, US this week has raised new tensions between the two countries. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken canceled his trip to China following the incident, despite China's claim that the balloon had been flown for research purposes by a private enterprise.
What exactly did China want to achieve by blowing up the balloons?
Earlier this week, the Pentagon announced it was tracking the movement of a balloon floating in the sky over Montana, where an intercontinental nuclear ballistic missile is stored. At the time, President Joe Biden forbade shooting down over-sized balloons, thinking it would cause civilian casualties. But after coming close to the East Coast on Saturday, the US Air Force shot it down with a missile.
The use of balloons as a means of intelligence is now almost non-existent. Spy balloons were first used during the French Revolution. During the American Civil War, spies aboard such large balloons used binoculars to locate enemy positions. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union used these balloons to track each other.
At that time, spy balloons were often lost in the air. But today's modern balloons equipped with cameras, radar and radio equipment usually do not lose their way. And already spy satellite technology has improved tremendously. Furthermore, with the advent of remotely controlled unmanned drones, balloons are no longer used for surveillance. However, they are still used for civilian research work in some places.
Falling under this intelligence balloon has now affected the diplomacy of both the countries. Blinken was the top American diplomat to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in more than five years. But the cancellation of his visit further cooled relations between the two countries.
The Pentagon said the balloon it shot down was no more capable of providing information than a Chinese spy satellite. However, military experts say that due to the slow speed, these balloons can take more clear pictures of the Earth's surface than artificial geosatellites placed in orbit. Apart from this, the more easily metal drones or aircraft are detected by radar, the more easily these balloons are not detected. At about 80,000 feet above the ground (the altitude at which commercial airliners fly), these balloons can stay aloft for weeks, avoiding radar eyes.
Now the question is, what exactly did China want to achieve by blowing up this balloon? The Pentagon said it detected the balloon after it crossed Canadian airspace and entered US airspace. There are some nuclear launch sites in Montana and North Dakota. The balloon was originally flying over these bases. Referring to the case, a US official said that the balloon was apparently being used for surveillance purposes.
US and China accusing each other of espionage is not a new thing. Beijing has long complained that US ships and aircraft conduct surveillance near China's border. But the US has responded by saying it is continuing its surveillance operations from international waters and airspace. Also, spy balloons have been seen over the US border before, although they were not quite like this one.
Some analysts suggest that the balloon may have accidentally drifted towards the United States; Or it could be that China deliberately sent it into US airspace to test US surveillance capabilities.
Falling under this intelligence balloon has now affected the diplomacy of both the countries. Blinken was the top American diplomat to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in more than five years. But the cancellation of his visit further cooled relations between the two countries.
On the other hand, a statement from China said that China regrets the "unintentional incident" and will continue diplomatic discussions with the United States to resolve the situation. However, it is not clear how far this tension will spread.
0 Comments