How will China respond to the U.S. shooting down its balloon? | In Focus podcast
Last Saturday the United States shot down what it described as a Chinese \u201cspy balloon\u201d off the coast of South Carolina, raising tensions between the two countries. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who was scheduled to leave for China on Sunday, postponed his visit. He described the incident as an \u201cunacceptable\u201d violation of America\u2019s sovereignty and said that the balloon had \u201cundermined\u201d the purpose of his trip.\nChina, on its part, insists that the balloon was just a civilian \u201cairship\u201d that had strayed into American air space \u201ccompletely accidentally\u201d. Although it expressed \u2018regret\u2019, it described the U.S.\u2019s military response as an \u201cobvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.\u201d It also warned of \u201cnecessary\u201d responses. So, what kind of response can we expect from China? Will we see the effects of this incident once again in the South China Sea? And was it really a spy balloon?