ANOTHER day. Another happening to hype up the US and West against China. A China weather balloon that has blown into the US has had Western politicians and journalists’ knickers in a twist. Although clarified by China’s Foreign Ministry that the alleged spy balloon was a civilian research “airship” for gathering weather data which “deviated far from its planned course” due to strong winds and the balloon’s limited steering capabilities, the development has precipitated what American journalist Christopher Hooks has described as “one of the stupidest news cycles in living memory”.
Prominent anti-war activist Caitlin Johnson has weighed in to express concern at “the entire American political/media class having an existential meltdown over what the Pentagon claims is a Chinese spy balloon”.
China’s Foreign Ministry had clarified that “the Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure”. But this seems to have only added fuel to the frenzy.
US response
Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled his diplomatic visit to China while US war hawks and even self professed liberal leaders have hogged the mass media to beat the war drums and call for retaliation on the “attack” balloon and anything from or remotely related to China.
“A big Chinese balloon in the sky and millions of Chinese TikTok balloons on our phones,” tweeted Senator Mitt Romney. “Let us shut them all down.”
A small minority of independent commentators have noted that even if the balloon had spying potential, there is no reason for Americans to lose their minds. They pointed out that Chinese satellites, as with US satellites, already can read the licence plates of cars in the target country, so there is little or no value added for the Chinese military from the balloon.
Secondly, all major governments spy on each other with the world record held by the US since the end of the second world war. This is a record which is apparent from the military budget of the US estimated at US$778 billion (RM3.34 trillion) for 2023 compared with that of China’s US$252 billion, India’s US$72.9 billion, Russia’s US$61.7 billion and UK’s US59.2 billion.
It has also been estimated by Western sources that 123 US military satellites are circling the earth. In comparison, Russia has 74 military satellites while China has 68.
The Pentagon’s initial assessment, lost in the hysterical response, is that the balloon “does not create significant value added over and above what the PRC (People’s Republic of China) is likely able to collect through things like satellites in Low Earth Orbit.”
For now though, the Pentagon is quite happy to see Americans freaking out over a balloon as long as it continues getting funds to encircle China with military bases and weaponry.
China’s motives
It is possible that the China balloon may have a dual purpose, one which permits the collection of weather and information from the US air force nuclear facility in Montana.
It is also possible that the flight path of the balloon was no accident but a response to the recent attempts by the US at escalating its anti-China policies, which included what some observers see as further military encirclement of China through the latest deal of the US with the Philippines government, which allows the US four more military bases in North Philippines in addition to the current ones in Japan and South Korea.
Other possible reasons also include a deliberate and not so subtle China response to the memo on war with China and shoot-to-kill guidance issued by a US air force general. No need to engage in hot air and rhetoric over the media and airwaves. Simply send across a balloon for the war hawks to shoot to kill and claim victory.
It could be that the China balloon is a trial balloon aimed at testing the defence capabilities of the US or simply a warning that China has the capability to retaliate at the US heartland should there be a US military adventure in the South China Sea or China region, where most of the US military forces are parked to ensure American hegemony and maintenance of the US version of the rules-based international order.
What next?
The US military has conclusively shown to the world that it is able to defend the country against whatever “war contraption” that comes from China.
According to Commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command General Glen Van Herck, the balloon had to be brought down by a missile fired by a F22 fighter plane, presently the most advanced fighter plane in the US. Standing at 200ft high and cruising at 25 knots, the balloon clearly was a difficult target to bring down. This event is making its way into US military history as the first official air-to-air kill for the F22, which has cost American taxpayers US$62 billion for 187 of them. Clearly, the US air force will need a much bigger budget in the war to preserve American freedom, way of life and sovereignty.
As for China, it should not be too concerned over the postponement or even cancellation of Blinken’s visit, given that he is a long time confirmed war hawk. Blinken has been actively involved in American interventionist policies since the Iraq war. One of the US strongest advocates for the overthrow of Libyan president Muammar al-Gaddafi, he is a supporter of Israel and the oppression of the Palestinian people.
Blinken’s hawkish credentials can also be deduced from his time as a lobbyist for the military-industrial complex through West-Exec Advisors, a firm he co-founded before being appointed by Biden to lead US foreign policy.
The chief concern for China now may be to avoid sending any more balloons near the US in case this bring more nightmares to the American public and provide further justification to the hate China lobby.
Lim Teck Ghee’s Another Take is aimed at demystifying social orthodoxy. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
