Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on CCP, U.S., Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia
News (1) to (4) / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/2/14/n13929775.htm
News (1)
Why the Chinese Communist Party bite America over the high-altitude balloon incident
Reporter : Zhang Ting / Image : On 7 February 2023, the U.S. Navy released photos of salvaging the wreckage of the CCP spy balloon. (Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Thompson/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Since a Chinese spy balloon entered U.S. airspace in January 2023, Beijing's response has changed from moderation to outrage. Now, as the incident continues to escalate, Beijing has retaliated against the United States for illegally flying high-altitude balloons over China's airspace, triggering a strong response from the White House. Experts say that the CCP’s accusations lack credibility and are mainly for the public in China.
According to a CNN report, analysts say that while the CCP’s increasingly hardline stance is intended to be seen domestically, it has also exposed inconsistencies and internal contradictions in Beijing’s messaging, seriously undermining its credibility .
After the Pentagon announced on 2 February 2023 that a spy balloon of the CCP appeared in the sky over Montana, the CCP responded that it was an "airship" used for meteorological research and "expressed regret" that the airship strayed into the US airspace. While the tone of that initial response was unusually soft, the subsequent political and diplomatic fallout did not bring the balloon incident to an end as quickly as Beijing had hoped.
As the controversy continued to dominate the press and public attention in the United States, the CCP began to escalate its response. Beijing has accused the United States of overreacting after a U.S. warplane shot down the balloon. U.S. officials later revealed that CCP China has a large fleet of surveillance balloons.
On Monday (13 February 2023), the CCP began to bite over the U.S. balloon into China's airspace. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that since last year, the U.S. high-altitude balloons have illegally flown over China's airspace more than ten times without approval. Wang Wenbin also accused that "the United States is the world's largest surveillance and reconnaissance country."
White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson dismissed the CCP’s claim as false, “It is China (the CCP) that has a high-altitude surveillance balloon program for intelligence gathering, and it uses this program to violate the United States and sovereignty of more than forty countries on five continents."
Collin Koh, a researcher at the Rajaratnam Institute of International Studies in Singapore, believes that the latest remarks by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs are a tit-for-tat response to Washington's allegations of spy balloons.
News (2)
Expert: The CCP’s latest response is to show the domestic people
CNN reported that Drew Thompson, a former U.S. Department of Defense official and a senior researcher at the National University of Singapore, said that the CCP’s latest strategy is a large-scale case of “so what” doctrine.
"So what" is the act of counter-accusing or asking other questions when confronted with an accusation.
“They (China) are not addressing the serious violation of U.S. sovereignty by surveillance balloons over Montana. They are trying to see (using) maybe some kind of false equivalence, and they are trying to do that,” he said. "I think they're sending a signal very much to their own people to make sure they don't get too caught up in China's contradictory positions," he said.
Drew Thompson also said that the CCP's position has always been contradictory, "that's why I think it lacks credibility in other countries."
Ja Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, said Beijing wanted to both continue to engage with the United States and appear strong to domestic audiences.
"Political dynamics within the People's Republic of China (the CCP) make it difficult to reconcile with the United States -- they (the CCP) also have to balance domestic reactions," he said.
News (3)
Drew Thompson: The U.S. balloon detection mission has been very careful
As a former U.S. Department of Defense official, Drew Thmopson said that the U.S. military does use balloons for reconnaissance activities, but they are "very careful" to ensure that the balloons do not enter the airspace of other countries unless it is a cooperative operation. This does not justify China's invasion of other countries' airspace.
"How countries conduct surveillance and reconnaissance is important, as is respect for international law and the law of the sea," he said.
A country's airspace refers to that part of the airspace above its territory, including the airspace above its territorial sea extending from its land to 12 nautical miles. Donald Rothwell, a professor of international law at the Australian National University, said the area above the ocean beyond the 12-nautical mile limit was considered international airspace, and commercial and military aircraft - including balloons - were allowed to conduct overflights without seeking a permit.
News (4)
Expert: CCP does not necessarily make a distinction between national and international airspace
However, Xu Ruilin, a Singapore-based military expert, said Beijing does not necessarily make a distinction between national and international airspace in practice.
"In the past, until recently, the Chinese military challenged foreign military air activity in international airspace in this way as if it were their own country's airspace," he said.
White House National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby emphasized at a news conference at the White House on Monday that no U.S. reconnaissance aircraft flew over Chinese airspace.
News (5) to (9) / Reporter : Zhang Ting / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/2/14/n13929783.htm
News (5)
Expert on U.S.-China "balloon war": The CCP is lying and inconsistent
Reporter : Zhang Ting / Image : On 13 and 14 February 2023, CCP Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the United States of high-altitude balloons of illegally flying over China's airspace, sparking heated discussions on social media. File map of Wang Wenbin. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)
While the U.S. is still studying the wreckage of the downed CCP spy balloon, the CCP suddenly accused the U.S. high-altitude balloon of flying over China’s airspace, and the White House immediately refuted it . Some experts said that the United States and China had launched a "balloon war"; some experts said that the CCP lied about the balloon incident to the point of inconsistency.
After the U.S. announced on 2 February that a CCP spy balloon had appeared over the U.S. state of Montana, the CCP denied sending the balloon to the U.S. for reconnaissance, arguing that the device was an "airship" for meteorological research.
The United States then shot down the balloon and showed evidence that it was a spy balloon. It also publicly disclosed the CCP’s huge balloon fleet. Afterwards, the CCP escalated its rhetoric. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused for two consecutive days on Monday (13 February) and Tuesday (14 February) that American high-altitude balloons illegally entered Chinese airspace. The White House responded that what the CCP told was a lie.
At the press conference on Tuesday, reporters from several foreign media asked Wang Wenbin to provide evidence that the U.S. balloon entered China's airspace, and how to confirm that it was an American balloon. Wang Wenbin failed to give relevant information, but asked the reporter to ask the U.S. side.
Beijing's accusation was seen as the latest sign of an escalation in the balloon incident, and sparked a buzz on social media Twitter.
News (6)
CCP is stupid to believe the U.S. will send balloons to China
Ho-fung Hung, a professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University, tweeted, "Less than two weeks ago, they (the CCP) kept saying that China has high technology satellite, only fools believe that China (CCP) will send balloons to America. Now they are so stupid to believe that America will send balloons (to China).
"You also did not provide any photographs or other evidence."
less than 2 weeks ago they kept saying only silly ppl would believe China, with its high-tech satellites, would send balloons to the US. now they are silly enough to believe US would send balloons. t provide any photos or any other evidence. pic.twitter.com/9BrXQH2KUR
— Ho-fung Hung (@hofunghung) February 13, 2023
He went on to say: "Habitual lying is bad enough. Habitual and inconsistent liars, who tell contradictory lies that cannot be logically true at the same time, are even worse. Enough has been seen. This is a hazard to the collective sanity and IQ of humanity."
News (7)
CCP shrieks responsibility over their bad matter origin to the U.S.
Ho-fung Hung also mentioned in another tweet that during the outbreak of the covid virus in China in 2020, the CCP blamed the United States for the origin of the virus. He said, "In 2020, the response to 'the pandemic originated in your country (China)' is: 'No, the pandemic originated in your country (the United States)!' In 2023, the response to 'You send balloons to spy on us' response: 'No, you send balloons to spy on us!' Clearly, there's not much going on here."
News (8)
CCP accuses the U.S. without proof
Bloomberg commentary columnist Matthew Brooker asked the CCP’s accusation that the U.S. balloon illegally flew over Chinese airspace on Twitter: “Where is the evidence?”
Julian Ku, a law professor at Hofstra University in the United States, believes that the latest accusation by the CCP has escalated the situation to a "balloon war."
Theresa Fallon of the Center for European-Asian Studies (CREAS) in Russia said, "Beijing accused the United States of using surveillance balloons to fly over Chinese airspace without any evidence. It took a while for Beijing to develop its position. Is this the diplomatic equivalent of 'It's not me, it's you!'"
News (9)
CCP is doomed to fail
Dennis Wilder, a professor of Asian studies at Georgetown University, believes: "China's (CCP) attempt to make the United States look bad is doomed to fail because it will not be able to provide credible evidence, which is not like the United States has physical evidence. In addition, the United States' balloons are not needed (to go to China for reconnaissance) because they already have a strong reconnaissance capability around China."
News (10)
Japan: It's likely that China's spy balloons invaded three times
Reporter : Xia Yu / Editor : Li Huanyu / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/2/14/n13929753.htm
On 4 February 4, the United States shot down a CCP spy balloon and announced that the CCP balloon fleet was conducting surveillance activities in dozens of countries around the world, triggering vigilance in many countries. Japan's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday (14 February 2023) that it "strongly suspects" that CCP surveillance balloons have entered Japanese territory at least three times since 2019.
U.S. allies in Asia have increased their vigilance against high-altitude balloons after the United States accused Beijing of using them in a global espionage program, ending years of largely tolerating unannounced balloon incursions in the region.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Tuesday that the balloons were discovered in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and Japan has called on the CCP regime to verify the situation and ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
The Japanese government previously considered balloons to be less of a security threat than satellite surveillance or intrusions by Chinese military aircraft and armed ships but government officials now say they are raising the level of concern.
"We will make every effort to collect and analyze data (on the balloon) with our allies," Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said on Tuesday.
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada confirmed on Tuesday that Japan could deploy troops to shoot down foreign balloons if necessary.
Japan is well equipped to identify balloons because of its high radar coverage, said retired JASDF lieutenant general Kunio Orita.
Regarding the balloon passing through the western airspace of Kyushu, Japan in January 2022, the Japanese government believes that it is likely to be a CCP surveillance balloon based on the analysis of the photos taken by the Air Self-Defense Force aircraft at that time.
After the U.S. government shot down the CCP spy balloon, State Department officials shared the findings with other countries. The U.S. says CCP balloons have carried out similar intelligence-gathering missions over the territories of 40 countries.
The CCP has always argued that the downed balloon was a civilian device used for meteorological research, and it was blown off course and strayed into U.S. airspace.
Balloons of unknown origin appear every year in the Asia-Pacific region but many are also weather balloons. According to the National Weather Service, such balloons typically do not drift farther than 125 miles or so from the point of launch.
Australian officials said they were not aware of any balloons over Australia but were monitoring the issue closely.
Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (Executive Deputy Minister) Mori Kenyoshi said at a press conference after the Japan-U.S.-South Korea Deputy Foreign Ministers’ Agreement held in Washington on 13 February when talking about the issue of the CCP’s balloons entering the U.S. airspace: “When we negotiated, we expressed to the United States Japan's support for the U.S. position."
Cho Hyun-dong, the first deputy foreign minister of South Korea's foreign ministry, also expressed his understanding of the response of the United States, saying that "violation of the sovereignty or domain of other countries cannot be tolerated."
News (11) to (15) / Reporter : Zhang Ting / Editor: Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/2/14/n13929894.htm
News (11)
Analysis: Qingdao UFO incident highlights Xi's dilemma
On Monday (13 February 2023), a report that the Chinese Communist Party’s military was preparing to shoot down a UFO in Qingdao became popular on Weibo but within hours, the topic mysteriously disappeared from the top 50 trending searches. How not to appear weak at home without exacerbating already strained U.S.-China relations underscores the difficult balance Mr. Xi faces.
Bloomberg said that, in addition to showing a general lack of transparency in China, the incident also shows that Xi Jinping's government is still struggling to find a coherent message to deal with the balloon incident about two weeks after the CCP balloon was spotted flying over the United States.
The Marine Development Bureau of Jimo District, Qingdao, Shandong Province recently confirmed to the Chinese media that a UFO has been spotted in the waters near Rizhao and is about to be shot down. The report appeared only in provincial media and affiliates of major party-backed news outlets, and no follow-up was provided.
The article became an instant sensation on Chinese social media on Monday, topping Weibo's trending search list with more than 630 million views. However, by the afternoon, the topic had completely disappeared from the top 50 Weibo trending lists. At this time, a large number of comments showed that the people became more impatient and urgently demanded an official explanation.
News (12)
Qingdao UFO incident linked with CCP's possible countermeasures against the U.S. shooting down the balloon
Many netizens linked this incident with the CCP’s possible follow-up countermeasures against the U.S. shooting down the balloon, calling for it to be shot down.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused the U.S. high-altitude balloons of flying over China's airspace without approval since last year at a news conference. This accusation made the Chinese people even more suspicious.
News (13)
Criticisms against the war wolf Wang who declined to comment on Qingdao UFO
"Why hasn't it been mentioned once in the past? Doesn't a big country need to show its strength?" a Weibo comment questioned in response to Wang Wenbin's accusation.
Another netizen said: "So, is it right or wrong for a high altitude balloon to fly over another country's airspace? I thought the spokesperson was saying that the actions of the United States were wrong?"
Wang Wenbin avoided answering questions about the Qingdao UFO at the press conference.
News (14)
Hong Kong and Singapore experts: There is an inherent tension between CCP and the U.S.
Zhu Yuner, an assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University who specializes in political communication, said the short propaganda campaign aimed to put China on a "seemingly equal footing" with the U.S. over the balloon incident, but not let things get out of hand, Bloomberg reported.
"The size and duration of the movement has been deliberately kept to a moderate level," she said. "The Chinese (Chinese Communist Party) government has become less willing to fan nationalist sentiment as it tries to ease tensions with the United States."
"They (the CCP) are trying to fine-tune the message," said Dylan Loh, assistant professor of international politics at Nanyang Technological University.
Dylan Loh also said there was an inherent tension in these positions: trying not to appear too weak on the one hand, and on the other hand not allowing the public sentiment to turn so strongly against the West that it would affect the normalization of U.S.-China relations.
News (15)
Expert: Qingdao UFO incident is aimed at boosting Xi's popularity, a "publicity balloon"
Alfred Wu, an expert on Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore, said the report on the UFO in Qingdao was aimed at boosting Xi Jinping's support among domestic audiences.
"It's a method of distraction, and it's usually used domestically, because internationally, if you don't provide evidence, how can people believe that you are telling the truth and not propaganda." Wu said, "No evidence was shown from China (the CCP) from, so maybe it was a publicity balloon."
U.S.-China relations continue to be tense due to the Taiwan issue, the Chinese Communist Party’s expansion in the South China Sea, chip warfare, the origin of the covid virus, and human rights issues in China. After the U.S. and Chinese leaders meet in Bali in November 2022, both sides intend to reduce tensions, or at least prevent the relationship from continuing to deteriorate.
Xi Jinping won a third term at the 20th Communist Party Congress last October. After the three-year zero-covid policy severely damaged the Chinese economy and triggered a large number of foreign capital to flee, Xi Jinping lifted the blockade and epidemic prevention measures in December 2022, planning to promote the economic revival, and stabilizing the tense relationship with the United States is a key factor for the smooth recovery of the Chinese economy .
A "spy balloon" that invaded U.S. airspace has plunged U.S.-China relations into a new crisis that threatens to freeze diplomatic engagement between the two world superpowers and deepen rifts over advanced technology and Taiwan.
News (16) to (20) / Reporter : Chen Ting / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/2/15/n13929960.htm
News (16)
UFOs found in the sky of Romania and Moldova, the latter temporarily closed airspace
Image : On 14 February 2023, both Romania and Moldova stated that an unknown object similar to a balloon was found at high altitude. The picture shows the CCP spy balloon over Billings, Montana, USA on 1 February. (Chase Doak/AFP)
On Tuesday (14 February), the authorities of Romania and Moldova both stated that an unknown object similar to a balloon was found in the high altitude, and Romania dispatched its military aircraft to pursue it while Moldova has temporarily closed its airspace.
The incident, which happened around noon local time, caught the attention of the two eastern European countries. Both countries share borders with Ukraine, whose airspace has been closely monitored since Russia invaded the country a year ago.
News (17)
Romania detects small UFO on radar
The Romanian Ministry of Defense said in a statement (link) that air surveillance systems detected a small UFO with characteristics similar to a weather balloon at around 12.30 pm in the southeastern airspace at an altitude of about 11,000 m.
The Romanian authorities sent two MiG-21 LanceR fighters under NATO command to the air target area.
However, the statement said: "Neither aircraft crew confirmed the presence of an aerial target either visually or by on-board radar. The aircraft remained in the area for approximately 30 minutes to obtain a full overview of the aerial situation before returning to the air base."
According to the Associated Press (link), Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York: "The Romanian warplanes did not detect any object, even though it was detected on the radar ... so there is no threat to Romanian airspace. "
Image : On 30 November 2022, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu talked to reporters while attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images)
News (18)
Moldova spots "weather ballon-like" object on the border with Ukraine
A balloon incident in Moldova sparked travel disruption and brief panic. At the time, authorities scrambled to close the country's airspace before saying they had spotted a "weather balloon-like" object on the northern border with Ukraine.
"Given the weather conditions and the impossibility of monitoring and identifying the object and its flight path... it has been decided to temporarily close the airspace," Moldova's aviation authority said in a statement.
After ensuring that the safety of the people is not threatened, Moldova has reopened its airspace.
It was unclear if the two incidents were connected, and neither country has said where they believe the objects came from.
Romania has been a member of NATO since 2004 and the European Union since 2007. Moldova is militarily neutral and is not trying to join NATO, but it is seeking closer ties with the West and joined Ukraine as an EU candidate last June.
News (19)
Russia is plotting to overthrow Moldova leadership, "to destroy Moldova"
The UFO incident occurred at a time of tense relations between Moldova and Russia. On Monday, Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of plotting a coup to overthrow Moldova's pro-Western leadership, the Daily Telegraph reported (link).
Sandu said Russia's aim was to prevent Moldova from joining the European Union and to draw the country into a war against Ukraine.
Ukraine also issued a warning last Thursday, saying it had intercepted "a Russian intelligence plan to destroy Moldova".
Image : On 21 November 2022, Moldovan President Sandhu was delivering a speech when she visited Paris. (YOAN VALAT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Sandhu appeared to confirm the warning. She said Moscow's plan involved "sabotage with a military background, disguised as plainclothes, carrying out acts of violence, attacking state institutions and taking hostages". She also said the plan had the backing of two exiled Moldovan oligarchs, Ilan Shor and Vladimir Plahotniuc.
News (20)
Russia denies Sandhu's claims
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed Sandhu's claims on Tuesday, calling them "absolutely baseless and unsubstantiated."
The reports of UFOs suspected of being high-altitude balloons followed a series of similar incidents in the United States in the wake of reports from the two Eastern European countries. Among the U.S. incidents were a Chinese spy balloon that flew through U.S. airspace and was eventually shot down but China claims it was just a weather balloon that went off course.
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