The downing of a huge Chinese balloon off the US coast last weekend, followed by two other smaller objects over Alaska and Canada, and another over US territory this Sunday, generated safety issues of North America and further tensions with China.

Amid much doubt and speculation, this is what is known so far:

1- The first

The incidents began in late January, when a giant Chinese balloon, which Washington officials have described as a spy, drifted for days in the US skies before being shot down on Feb. 4 by an F-22 jet. off the coast of South Carolina.

China insisted the balloon was conducting meteorological research.

The Pentagon said it had a gondola the size of three buses and weighed more than a ton, plus it was equipped with multiple antennas and solar panels large enough to power multiple intelligence-gathering sensors.

It also appeared to have the ability to turn on its own, use wind and have propulsion, officials said.

2- In Alaska and Canada

Then on Friday, U.S. warplanes shot down another object off northern Alaska, the military said. This object lacked any propulsion or control systems, according to authorities.

On Saturday, a US F-22 aircraft, acting on Canadian and Canadian orders, shot down a “high flying object” over Canada’s central Yukon Territory, about 100 miles from the US border, over consider that it posed a threat to civil aviation.

Canada described it as cylindrical and smaller than the first balloon. Defense Minister Anita Anand declined to speculate whether he was of Chinese descent.

3- The last one, in Michigan

Biden on Sunday ordered another object shot down “as a precaution” on Lake Huron. The device was described as an octagonal structure with ropes dangling from it and posed a risk to civil aviation when flying at an altitude of about 6,000 meters, according to officials.

The Pentagon said none of the four items appeared to be armed or posed a threat of attack.

military equipment, which They work with planes, boats and mini-submarines, They are cruising in the shallows off South Carolina. Military images have shown the recovery of a large chunk of the balloon.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has assumed custody of the remains for analysis.

Operations continue to recover the second object on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska. “Arctic weather conditions, including wind chills, snow and limited daylight” are impacting operations, the military said.

Recovery teams, supported by a Canadian CP-140 patrol vessel, They’re looking for the remains of the third object in the Yukon, Anand said on Saturday. The Pentagon noted that the FBI is working closely with Canadian police.

The Pentagon said Sunday that US and Canadian teams were preparing an operation to try to recover the fourth object.

4- “Surveillance of strategic sites”

US officials say images of the first balloon show it consisted of a surveillance team who could intercept telecommunications.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said his mission was to “monitor strategic sites in the continental United States.”

A former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Michael Mullen, has suggested that China, or some members of its military leadership, were intentionally trying to undermine Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing, which has been suspended due to the bilateral tensions.

The United States claims the balloons were part of a “fleet” that traveled the five continents.

5- Speculations

Speculation on other objects is growing. Defense Undersecretary for Homeland Security Melissa Dalton said public and private research agencies are launching their own devices into the atmosphere at high altitudes.

Several analysts say it could be a major one Chinese surveillance effort analyze foreign military capabilities anticipating possible tensions on Taiwan in the coming years.

Dalton said on Sunday that after the discovery of the Chinese balloon, the US air defense system made changes to radar systems to be able to detect smaller and slower-moving objects in the atmosphere.

Experts also point out that US and Canadian intelligence is consistently receiving large amounts of raw data and generally discards some of it to focus on missile threats, not slow-moving objects like balloons.

“Now, obviously, we’re tracking them. So I think we’re probably going to find more stuff,” Jim Himes, the top Democratic representative on the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC.

On Saturday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) sent fighter planes to investigate a “radar anomaly” over Montanabut did not find any objects.

6- Bilateral tension

The United States suspended Blinken’s visit to China, with the intention of stabilizing bilateral relations, and sanctioned six Chinese entities.

Beijing has denounced the shooting down of the first balloon, stating that it “seriously violates international practice”. It reserved the right to “use the means necessary to deal with similar situations”.

Dalton added on Sunday that after Beijing refused to communicate for several days, US officials had “contact” with China regarding the balloon, though he did not elaborate on their nature.

There has been no Chinese reaction to the last two shootdowns.

Republicans have criticized President Joe Biden for waiting so long to shoot down the first balloon, even as Sunday House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Turner said the US military had gone from “permissive” to “shooting easily.”

But Biden has faced calls from both camps to show more transparency.

“I’m really concerned about why the administration is no longer forthcoming with everything they know,” Himes said.

Source: AFP