LOOK!!! BALLOONS!!!
he balloon saga between the US and China has been met with a range of responses from the Chinese government and people, leaving many perplexed by the shifting positions taken by Beijing. Initially, Chinese officials remained silent on the matter until admitting the balloon belonged to them but was a civilian airship used for research purposes that had been blown off-course.
However, state media got more defensive, claiming that the “fabricated balloon lie cannot be tied down to China”. Chinese nationalists on social media indignantly denounced the US, while some netizens made jokes about the incident, calling it “The Wandering Balloon”.
After the US shot the balloon down, Chinese authorities lodged a formal complaint with the US embassy in Beijing, and the Defence Ministry said they “reserved the right to use necessary means to deal with similar situations”. There was also fevered speculation on Chinese social media about who had launched the balloon and its origins.
This was compounded by reports of an unidentified object allegedly flying off the coast of Shandong province, which sent social media into overdrive, but the government remained silent. On Monday, the Chinese government claimed that US balloons had breached their airspace at least 10 times in the past year, which the US has denied. Meanwhile, Chinese state media has turned the narrative to focus on a derailed train carrying hazardous material in Ohio.
Chinese news outlets have devoted significant coverage to the topic, citing US media reports, and it has become a significant talking point on social media. Many Chinese netizens expressed concern that the incident would turn into a global environmental crisis and anger over the relatively sparser coverage of the train incident in US media compared to the balloons.
The shifting positions taken by Beijing in response to the balloon saga has left many wondering about China’s true intentions and motivations.
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