The recent downing of a Chinese balloon over the US has generated a tidal wave of scorn directed at officials who raised alarm that the device could be part of a spy network spanning five continents.
US President Joe Biden publicly declared that the country is not seeking conflict with the Asian superpower in comments made this week.
However, Washington’s insistence the balloon was indeed a nefarious espionage tool has left many in China gleeful over the scandal.
One video uploaded to social media showed a computer generated US fighter jet attempting to shoot down the balloon to the tune of the Mission Impossible soundtrack.
The video shows the balloon dodging missiles through the clouds before erupting.
China claims that the balloon was conducting weather research, but the Pentagon views it as a high-tech spying operation. The balloon was flying at an altitude higher than most aeroplanes and passed directly over a sensitive US military site.
Chinese state media has also made it abundantly clear what the nation thinks of the scandal, with the Global Times declaring that residents believe it is all the “product of a broken system”.
“The ‘spy balloon saga’ is a deliberately orchestrated act of political drama by the US with the goal of purposefully weaponising fear, paranoia and mass hysteria in the name of discrediting China,” read one article criticising the issue.
“American politics, both at home and abroad, is driven by the covert weaponization of ‘drama’ in a highly aggressive and hysterical manner, unparalleled throughout the world.”
A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the United States is “obviously overreacting and seriously violating international practice”.
The US has remained alert following the peculiar series of events.
“We aim to compete with China fully, but we are not pursuing conflict — and this has been the case till now,” Biden said via PBS this week.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken added that the US is sharing information with its allies as it evaluates the recovered debris from the balloon incident.
“We have shared information with dozens of nations globally, both from Washington and through our embassies. This is because the US was not the sole target of this extensive program, which has violated the sovereignty of nations across five continents,” Blinken stated.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that the balloon was part of a larger fleet and has been spotted worldwide for several years.
The balloon, equipped with sophisticated technology, traversed the entire US before the military was instructed by President Biden to shoot it down in the Atlantic off the east coast.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who recently visited Washington, Japan, and South Korea, warned that the balloon incident highlights the need for nations to protect themselves.
“The Chinese balloon over the US confirms a pattern of Chinese behaviour where we have seen a significant investment in new military capabilities and increased intelligence activities in Europe. China is using satellites, cyber and balloons, and we must be vigilant,” Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg also warned that China is drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine, which NATO countries are supporting.
He added, “What is happening in Europe today could happen in Asia tomorrow,” in reference to China’s pressure on Taiwan.