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.
Subscribe to 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.
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."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
June 2 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include Elon Musk's next project, the Democratic party's efforts to win more male votes, and Donald Trump's taco order.
-
Cary Arms & Spa: a secluded coastal retreat in South Devon
The Week Recommends Perched above Babbacombe Bay on the English Riviera, this tranquil inn is the perfect bolthole for a weekend by the sea
-
Sail in style onboard the brand-new Explora II
The Week Recommends Hit the high seas on a luxury cruise from Barcelona to Rome
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges