Page 39 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2023 Edition

The 2023 Chinese Spy Balloon Timeline 39

The 2023 Chinese Spy

Ballon’s Eight-day

Journey

The United States’ dramatic takedown of
what it has called a Chinese surveillance
balloon started with a few civilian

sightings in America’s heartland and
ended with a missile explosion over
South Carolina so loud that it rattled
homes below.

Although it’s not the first time a spy
balloon has been spotted by U.S.
officials, this latest one has become the
center of a diplomatic dispute that could
set back dialogue between Washington
and Beijing, said John Delury, a professor

of Chinese studies at Yonsei University in
South Korea who recently wrote a book
about Cold War-era U.S. espionage in
China.

ground. spokesman Ned Price.
“It’s hard to know how long this is going
to play out diplomatically,” he said,
President Biden authorized a takedown In response, a spokesperson for the
noting that Pentagon officials have
“as soon as the mission could be Chinese Foreign Ministry accused some
indicated the balloon would not be more
accomplished without undue risk to politicians and media organizations of
effective for information gathering than a
American lives under the balloon’s path,” having “hyped” the incident to “smear
satellite. “But now that this has gotten so
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would China.”
big, whatever the intention, the effect is
later say in a statement. Secretary of State
that this pushes the issue of surveillance
Antony Blinken summoned the senior- The North American Aerospace Defense
to the forefront of U.S.-China relations.”
most official at the Chinese Embassy in Command said on Friday that it was
Washington. tracking a balloon in Canada that was
Saturday, Jan. 28: The balloon entered
thought to be of Chinese origin. Another
American airspace, flying in around the
Thursday, Feb. 2: U.S. officials Chinese spy balloon was also spotted
southern tip of Alaska. It then crossed
disclosed to the public that the balloon over Latin America on Friday, the
north of the Aleutian Islands and over the
had been flying over the mainland United Pentagon confirmed.
state’s mainland. At this point, U.S.
States for several days. Brig. Gen. Patrick
officials had not publicly acknowledged
Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told Saturday, Feb. 4: The U.S. military shot
the balloon or its presence in the United
reporters it was traveling at an altitude down the balloon as it hovered over the
States.
“well above commercial air traffic and Atlantic Ocean off the South Carolina
does not present a military or physical coast, using a missile fired from an F-22
Monday, Jan. 30: The balloon entered
threat to people on the ground.” Raptor. The balloon had been flying
Canadian airspace.
about 60,000 to 65,000 feet high. The
Friday, Feb. 3: The balloon was spotted Federal Aviation Administration ordered
Tuesday, Jan. 31: The balloon floated
by civilians as it flew over Kansas and ground stops for flights in parts of North
back into U.S. airspace over northern
Missouri. China’s Foreign Ministry said Carolina and South Carolina shortly
Idaho. U.S. officials considered
in a statement that the “airship” was a before shooting down the balloon.
weather balloon that had strayed from its
Wednesday, Feb. 1: The balloon flew
intended course into the United States The same day, U.S. officials disclosed
over Montana, near Malmstrom Air
“due to the influence of westerly winds that the balloon’s path had taken it over
Force Base, home to several nuclear
and its limited control capacity,” adding several U.S. military installations, The
missile silos. It was spotted by civilians
that “China regrets that the airship Post reported, and that the administration
and recorded by Chase Doak, who
strayed into the United States by had taken steps to stop it from collecting
captured on video from his driveway
mistake.” information that could undermine
what he later described as a “big, round
national security. []
disc in the sky” around 5:30 p.m. Billings
Blinken postponed his visit to Beijing
Logan International Airport temporarily
hours before he was scheduled to depart,
shut down over the balloon, grounding THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO/TV SHOW
telling China’s foreign affairs chief that with
several flights.shooting it down, The
the “surveillance balloon” had ROB McCONNELL
Washington Post reported, but planners
“undermined” the purpose of the trip, www.XZBN.net
couldn’t mitigate the risk to people on the
according to State Department www.SimulTV.com CH-54