China condemned the U.S. military’s decision on Saturday to shoot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over the U.S. last week. “China strongly disapproves of and protests …
  • zbych@szmer.info
    5·
    2 years ago

    And for sure China would not have ‘overreacted’ this way if the situation was on their territory and the balloon was from the US.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
      42·
      2 years ago

      US certainly gave China a good precedent on how to react if any US aircraft happens to make its way into their airspace in the future.

  • vekku@sopuli.xyzOP
    42·
    2 years ago

    Bibbidi bobbidi it’s now US property. Not sure what they can do with it though.

  • d-RLY?@lemmy.ml
    42·
    2 years ago

    It seems strange to me that the US needed to fire a missile at it just to bring it down (aside from it looking “strong” for the cameras). It could’ve been taken down with the machine guns and wouldn’t have cost the tens of thousands of dollars that the missile costs. I hope that if they are able to get the sensors and computers from it all just turn out to be completely just the normal “boring” stuff that weather balloons always have. I also hope that if the US intentionally makes a point of having our own “blown off course” balloon enter China’s airspace that China makes a point of handling it all better. Then the US loses its chance to point back and talk shit. Win win for China’s image in being the more levelheaded nation that isn’t trying to take over the world (as the US always claims it is).

    • guojing@lemmy.ml
      21·
      2 years ago

      These weather balloons fly very high so a missile is about the only way to reach it. And you can be sure that the US government will never admit that it was a weather balloon, because then it would be obvious that they are lying.

      • d-RLY?@lemmy.ml
        1·
        2 years ago

        But I thought the weird part about it was that it was floating much lower than they are normally placed? I believe that some outlets were even saying it was in the same altitude as commercial aircraft. Though I am not sure at what level using canons on a fighter is completely pointless. So even if it was lower, you may still be correct.

    • flag@beehaw.org
      21·
      2 years ago

      yeah so what, better take it down, right? I wouldn’t fault china if they did the same.