Comment: The United States calls the Chinese balloon implementation espionage.

Source: Bloomberg

The U.S. Department of Defense announced on Thursday that a suspected Chinese monitoring balloon that was hovering over Mongolia Lama highly highlighted the mutual suspicion of the two largest economies of the world's two largest economies in China.The following is everything we know so far:

1. What is monitoring balloon?

It is cheap, quiet and difficult to touch. The balloon has been used in military reconnaissance for a long time. They have appeared in the US civil war.During the First World War, military balloons began to become more popular, and they were used densely during the Cold War. At that time, the United States launched hundreds of balloons to collect Soviet and Chinese information.Although the use of balloons has decreased with the rise of drones and satellites, many countries are still using spy balls.Politico reported last year that the Pentagon is increasing investment in high -altitude inflatable airships.Modern balloons are usually unmanned, but they generally have no advancement and are easily affected by airflow.

2. What do we know about the balloon floating over the United States?

The Bayeng government disclosed the existence of the Chinese balloon on Thursday, saying it was discovered for the first time earlier this week, and once hovered at a height of more than 40,000 feet (12,000 meters) in Montana.This location is very sensitive because the state is the deployment of the US Air Force 341 Missile Alliance and its "Militar-III" intercontinental ballistic missile launch well.A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday that "there was no intention of infringing the territorial airspace of any sovereign country."A Pentagon spokesman said earlier that the United States was very confident in determining that this balloon belonged to China, but did not explain the reason.The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday evening that the "civilian nature" airships expressed "regret" because they "entered the United States" because of force majeure, and pointed out that it was used for scientific research and other purposes such as meteorological research.

3. Does balloon constitute a security threat?

The exact function of this balloon is unclear, and a U.S. official who blows to reporters on Thursday refuses to answer questions about its size or specifications.U.S. officials asserted that this balloon collection has limited effects and does not exceed China's existing ability to collect data through satellite networks.North American Aerospace Defense Command said on Thursday that it is "continuing to track and monitor closely", and the Canadian Ministry of Defense also stated that they are tracking "potential second incidents", but there is no detailed explanation.

4. Why is China's unwarn balloon now?

For decades, China has complained that the United States has used ships and spy planes near its country to implement monitoring, and the confrontation caused by occasional occasional occasions between the two sides over the years.U.S. officials said that before the incident announced on Thursday, China's balloon had appeared near the United States.But it is unclear why this balloon flew to the United States.Brinken was originally scheduled to meet with Chinese officials in Beijing at the beginning of next week, and it will also be the first highest US diplomat to visit China in five years.The Biden government has now decided to postpone the trip.People familiar with the identity revealed that the balloon incident made US officials worry that visiting China will send an error signal now.Earlier, a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mao Ning avoided the question of whether Brintken's itinerary was changed, saying that she "there is no news I can provide."

5. Why didn't the Pentagon not shot down the balloon?

Minister of Defense Austin suggested that President Biden did not make a decision to shoot down the balloon because there was a potential risk of fragmented drops.Although this option was officially considered when the balloon floated over the scarce area of Mongolia, it was found that this "huge" object was enough to cause potential damage.Its position is also much higher than the height of civil aircraft, so it is unlikely that it is directly dangerous to the public.