A Chinese spy balloon flies over the United States and raises tensions between Washington and Beijing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancels scheduled trip to China. Meanwhile, the story continues. Like the journey of the ‘balloon’, between questions and still partial answers. “The first step is to get it out of our airspace,” Blinken used the formula.
What is China’s goal? What information should the balloon collect, which for Beijing is ‘only’ a tool for monitoring the weather? The Chinese version obviously does not convince the US. According to American analysts, the balloon – which is moving towards the east – could be used to collect information on telecommunications systems and radars in the United States. Basically, the instruments installed on the balloon would be able to collect information and transmit it to Beijing. According to CNN, the United States has taken steps to prevent the ‘balloon’ from collecting sensitive data.
The balloon was reported in the skies over Montana, in areas where silos for intercontinental missiles are installed and in areas where there are strategic bases used by bombers. The Pentagon has clarified that the balloon, also spotted by the pilots of various flights (in particular at about 30 km from the Kansas City airport in Missouri), is a ‘spy’ model and can be operated remotely.
The Pentagon has clarified that at the moment the hypothesis of shooting down the balloon is not being considered, as requested by several Republican exponents and as former President Donald Trump invokes – among others – too. “Given the size, the debris would be considerable and could injure or kill civilians, as well as create significant damage,” summarized General Pat Ryder. At present, the balloon – which presumably will remain in American skies for a few more days – “does not pose a military or physical threat”.
