China is playing the US for fools over the spy balloon

The Chinese balloon debacle has shone a light on America’s security vulnerabilities, but it has also revealed just how audacious and deceptive the Chinese Communist Party is. As with their reaction to Covid-19’s origins, they have brazenly lied from the day that the balloon’s presence was made public.

It is abundantly clear that the craft was not a weather balloon, not least because of its uncharacteristically massive size. Yet China opted to construct a tall tale about a wandering weather balloon that somehow ended up over America. Oh, and the balloon over Latin America? That was just another errant storm tracker. Sure, China regrets the mishap, but there is no need to overreact.

What makes the lie so extraordinary is that it is so easily debunked. Did the Chinese really think the US would not attain evidence to the contrary, that Washington would never shoot down the balloon? If American authorities get hold of the equipment on the surveillance payload — which they likely will — it should be easy enough to tell if the balloon was for studying tornados or America’s nuclear deterrent.

After the craft was downed on Saturday, Beijing upped its rhetoric. Xie Feng, China’s vice foreign minister, declared that the US “insisted on indiscriminate use of force against the civilian airship that was about to leave the United States airspace, obviously overreacted and seriously violated the spirit of international law.” It goes without saying that this statement is full of falsehoods and spin: the balloon was not a civilian airship, it violated and remained in US airspace, and Washington acted in accordance with international law.

When Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tried to call the Chinese minister of national defense after the balloon was shot down, Beijing refused to answer. On February 3, Chinese officials had spoken of their commitment to “continue to maintain communication with the U.S. side to properly handle this accident.” That, too, was obviously disingenuous, but Beijing’s response was also irresponsible. At a time of heightened tensions, military-to-military communications are critical to deescalating potential crises and keeping both sides informed to prevent miscalculation.

It’s not surprising that China acted this way, but it starkly illustrates the lengths the CCP is willing to go to. Whatever others might say, this was a very significant event. China has every right to surveil from international airspace like the US does, but it has no right to violate America’s sovereignty. Beijing needs to get a clear message that the US will not tolerate such a flagrant intrusion, particularly now that we know this was not a one-off.

Whatever Washington decides to do regarding sanctions, it can also take a PR-centered approach. The US should pursue a campaign pointing out China’s irresponsibility and making clear it was in the wrong. Beijing does not like to appear as the aggressor, but this intrusion is an unambiguously provocative act.

When authorities find out exactly what the device on the balloon was, they should publicize it to the greatest extent possible, putting the lie to China’s weather balloon tale. The administration is already doing so by sharing intelligence on this and other balloons with around 40 countries. It should go further and sound out the receptiveness of other nations to issuing a joint statement of condemnation.

These largely symbolic acts may seem insignificant, but they’ll make a difference on the diplomatic front. Every reckless stunt the Chinese pull chips away at whatever goodwill it has accrued and pressures fence-sitters to come down on America’s side. Washington must be careful not to overplay its hand and cause an unwarranted worsening of tensions. Nonetheless, the US and the West are in the midst of this century’s greatest challenge. The balloon debacle is an opportunity to notch a point on the side of the free world.