Purported Chinese spy balloon prompts hot air from pundits and politicians


A specter is haunting America — the specter of communism. Or, perhaps more specifically, the specter of a purported "high-altitude surveillance balloon" Pentagon officials believe originated in China, which has been floating slowly eastward across the continental United States. Speaking at a Defense Department press conference on Friday, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the military is tracking the object at approximately 60,000 feet, but wouldn't confirm whether it planned to shoot the balloon down, as some in Washington have suggested. The Pentagon has rejected Chinese government assertions that the balloon is simply an errant research airship blown inconveniently off course, saying during a Thursday briefing that unlike other Chinese spy balloons observed in the past, "it is appearing to hang out for a long period of time this time around, more persistent than in previous instances."
While the prospect of a foreign object unhurriedly surveilling wide swaths of the country is an alarming one, Pentagon officials don't seem particularly worried about the balloon itself, downplaying both its intelligence-gathering capacity, and general threat to the public. While cautioning that the balloon and its payload are large enough to cause damage if downed over a populated area, its actual spying ability does "not create significant value" compared to other Chinese spy satellites, a Pentagon official stressed during a background briefing.
Those assurances, however, were not enough to assuage a number of lawmakers, including former President Donald Trump, who have advocated a forceful response to the balloon's presence.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Several Republicans, however, have publicly mused that a violent reaction to the balloon would be playing directly into China's hands. Speaking with Steve Bannon on Friday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) wondered whether shooting the object down would give Chinese military officials a sense of American anti-surveillance capabilities. China might even be trying to "bait the United States into disputes over appropriate rights in the air" he added. On Twitter, former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force pilot himself, raised similar concerns.
Others, including former Clinton administration official and international relations expert David Rothkopf, have cautioned that any hysteria over the balloon's presence is "pretty darn dumb," even if it turns out to be a top-secret spy system after all. "It is certainly not news that the Chinese are spying on us," Rothkopf pointed out. "And we are definitely in no position to condemn them for spying." In 2001, for instance, a U.S. spy plane was downed after colliding with a Chinese jet interceptor in the South China Sea, touching off a weeks-long international incident.
Rothkopf's warnings notwithstanding, the Biden administration quickly responded to the balloon's presence by scuttling a scheduled weekend meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Friday, just hours before Blinken was to depart.
There are, however, those who maintain that China's explanation that this is simply a rogue weather balloon is not only "absolutely possible," but even "likely," as University of Washington Atmospheric Chemistry professor Dan Jaffe told The Associated Press.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meanwhile, although the Pentagon won't divulge the exact location of the balloon, Brig. Gen. Ryder did remind the public on Friday that they could simply "look up in the sky."
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
5 dramatically dysfunctional cartoons about the government shutdown
Cartoons Artists take on life without government, foam finger pointing, and more
-
October 4 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include the Einstein files, defunding the police, and an odd tribute to Jane Goodall
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipe
The Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
TikTok: A little help from Trump’s friends
Feature Trump’s new TikTok deal would hand the app over to 'his billionaire allies,' ignoring national security concerns