The Chinese spy balloon. Photo: Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.
People in China are interpreting the Chinese spy balloon drama through the lens of alternative facts, propaganda, and censorship — underscoring how divergent information environments are deepening the chasm between the U.S. and China.
Why it matters: The balloon incident has genuinely alarmed a lot of Americans. Official Chinese statements about the nature of the airship make it harder for Chinese people to understand why Americans are reacting this way, and make the U.S. seem diplomatically unreliable.
What Washington is saying: Last week the U.S. Department of Defense said it had detected an “intelligence-gathering” airship floating over Montana and down through the continental U.S.
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the balloon represented a “clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law” and postponed his planned trip to China over the weekend.
- A U.S. fighter jet shot down the balloon on Saturday once it was over water and no longer posed a threat to people on the ground, the Pentagon said.
What Beijing is saying: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the craft was a “civilian airship,” not a surveillance airship, and denounced its downing as an “obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”
- The ministry warned China was “reserving the right to take further actions in response.”
The big picture: Chinese high-altitude balloons have also been spotted near Taiwan, Japan, and India in the past couple of years, including over important air defense sites. Analysts say the balloons are part of China’s so-called “lighter than air” surveillance balloon program.
The state of play: Online discussion in China, which is heavily censored by authorities, focused on the distinction between the terms “civilian airship” and “spy balloon,” Whats On Weibo reported.
- “On Chinese social media, the majority of commenters see the balloon as a weather device…
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