>

What the fuck. That's crazy.
I feel like they purposely wanted us to pop that balloon for some reason >

And that's why the government waited to do the popping over the ocean.
It was such a clear provocation, you never know what payload those balloons have.
Shooting them down over land could have consequences beyond wreckage landing on someone or something. >

After the Australian search for a radioactive capsule the size of a tick tack, it’s probably a good idea to avoid hitting that piñata with a missile over neighborhoods >

This is a good reason to recover the wreckage and to inspect it. If it contains some sort of dangerous weapons or nuclear poison, then this incident becomes much more serious. >

I mean it would be negligent to NOT shoot it down and inspect it. Over the ocean was a good call. Who knows what kind of zombie apocalypse they're trying to start here? >

The problem with biological warfare is that it eventually spreads to more than your intended target, and eventually gets back to you. >

According to my coworker. You only start biological warfare when you have the cure made already. 
But he's a real big conspiracy guy >

It makes sense from a logical standpoint. >

And it may very well be the most logical thing he has said since I've known him. >

Yeah, I know a few myself. Some of them could really get carried away. >

What’s going on with the other one over South America last I had heard???? >

Either they're really civilian research balloons which is still illegal because they didn't notify any country and they just fucking straped a bunch of metal to a balloon which could have ended crashing into a city, or they just sent a bunch others randomly to break a pattern that some "by mistake" ended passing both the US and Canada.
The one in south america passed Colombia and Venezuela. >

Thank you for sharing those links. Super insightful reads.
EDIT: I'll further add that I've watched a few "western" (One from south africa, one from the US, one from the UK) youtubers who live/lived in china and share their experiences as their main source of channel content. Firstly I'd point out that they suffer from youtube-disease and so much of their delivery and setup is unnecessarily hyperbolic. But after you digest a bit of their content and learn how to look past that, their videos give some really interesting views into the socio-cultural component of life where they were. They were foreigners of course so they may have, and probably were, subjected to a different level of scrutiny by gov't officials and authorities. But things such as cross country motorcycle trips, documentary style filming, drone flights, seemingly random video shots in unique places, all these things caused them to be placed under noticeably increased suspicion or so they claim. They said they had gotten phone calls from local police stations on more than a handful of occasions asking them about their business and lifestyles as well as requesting they make frequent check-ins with them to keep the police abreast of their activities. A few of those youtubers left China for those very reasons, stating they feared that incarceration was imminent. One of them even said a friend of his was arrested a few years back and he hasn't heard from him since.
Grain of salt of course. I can't speak to the truth or veracity of any of it. But if what you shared is true, it leads me to think they weren't far off in their assessments. >

Thanks. Interestingly, China has one of the most delayed domestic airlines in the world. Almost 50% of domestic flights are delayed because you have to fly through specific flight paths because most of the country is restricted by the military airspace. And if there is a “traffic jam” on those few corridors connecting major cities, the whole system gets set back. 
Traveling domestically in China sucks in general, especially as a foreigner since many hotels refuse to serve you. In fact, you can sometimes find entire towns will refuse you entry to hotels. Also, you need to give passport and travel details anywhere you go as a foreigner. 
It’s sad because one of the reasons I learned Chinese and traveled there was my middle school teacher’s stories. He took a bus all around China in the early 90s and talked about how amazing it was seeing places like Tibet in 1991. Now, you won’t even get permission to go there as a foreigner. >


“The U.S.’s use of force is a clear overreaction and a serious violation of international practice,” the ministry added, noting that Beijing reserves the right to make “further responses that are necessary.”

what the hell lol >

Isn't sending your equipment into the airspace of another nation without permission a serious violation of international practice? >

In international relations you just say things. You know it’s not true. You know the other country knows it’s not true. It doesn’t matter. The game is to play dumb, because a large number morons in your own population will believe you, and it’s important to keep appearances for them. 
For other examples see Russia, who says dumb things on purpose regularly for internal propaganda purposes. >

Thank you, was just about to mention this lil incident. I think we’ll give back the balloon the same way they gave us back our plane. In pieces. >

I doubt the US is going to give back anything. >

Would be funny if we just gave them back the balloon bits. >

Or just a popped regular balloon on a string >

A winnie the pooh ballon >

Thousands with pamphlets with comics criticizing Xi Jinping depicted as a bumbling mean Pooh. New editions every month or so. >

Honestly China's reaction seems rather extensive for a civil balloon. >

that's what i was thinking. if we entertained the idea that it was a civilian ballon then why should they care about it being shot down. >

But also why the fuck would you use a balloon? Aren’t those big? We found it pretty quickly. And don’t they have satellites now? This whole situation is weird and confusing and I can’t bring myself to have an opinion. >

Some experts on BBC surmised this could have just been to see how the US would react. And/or also as a way to show the US that they can send a balloon into American airspace. It's interesting that this happens just before Anthony Blinken was apparently supposed to go to Beijing. Though now China is claiming they never made such an invitation or some usual crap they say over these things. >

Seems to be that it's more of a test of our air defences at that altitude. Meaning, when we would spot it, how we would respond, etc. If I'm not mistaken, that's the altitude some of their long range missiles fly at. >

Using a never before seen spy balloon as a proxy for a missile attack is a strange experimental setup but I guess they could learn something from it. >

Weather balloons were used extensively in the Manhattan project and for almost every nuclear test thereafter >

Closest thing we have to a magical sky crane >

No flight plan, no fore notice, and no communication until it was spotted. They violated airspace and say it's an overreaction? >

It's so stupid I'm wondering if they really did say that
Officials can't be that dumb right? What kinda move is this? They trying to save face in front of their people or something?
Edit: lol its funny reading so many completely different theories being spoken like they're facts
We're all so full of shit aren't we?  Lmao >

If there's anything that Chinese politicians have no shortage of, it's audacity. They make critical statements any time any democratically-elected politician in any country recognises Taiwan, they condemn governments for not denying people's right to protest in their own country, they freaked their fucking shit when the Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to a Chinese pro democracy writer etc. 
Basically they expect the same amount of respect and authority from the entire world that they force from their citizens in their own country with an authoritarian hand, and they will make it known every time they feel that they've received anything less. >

I feel like those statements aren't targeting the outside world, it's for the people living inside the bubble. >

Sorry to burst your bubble China! >

After the Christchurch (New Zealand) earthquake the Chinese Government asked that families of Chinese victims receive more compensation than other nationalities because... Chinese people usually have only one child and therefore more precious.
Yeah, and why is that then? >

I’m not an expert here but I’m pretty sure there are plenty of Chinese people. Like they might not be multiplying as much as they used to, but there’s a more than adequate stockpile. >

China is hurtling headlong toward a (self-manufactured) demographic crisis. The result of the one-child policy being in place for so long is that very soon, most of the country will be retired and supported by a relatively small younger generation.
Not that it has anything to do with the CC shooting etc. Just something I’ve been thinking about. >

To preface, I have literally no idea what I'm talking about. But part of me wonders if it's not a good thing that China's young people will not be so easily disposable and used. They currently are treated like they have no value. Their workforce is currently horrifying because you have so many people willing to work for next to nothing. Maybe when it's lesser, they'll have more bargaining power and can get higher wages, better working conditions, etc. >

China plays mind games like my nephew. 
He is also just 3. Pretty dumb. >

China says no you. >

Then throws itself around on the ground >

Ugh, here comes the kicking, screaming, crying, and making a scene in the middle of the mall. >


… and making a scene in the middle of the mall.

In the middle of Tianmen Square. >

Where absolutely nothing happened. >

Nothing happened there and you will go to jail if you ask about it. /sarcasm >

Let one of our allies float a balloon over China's airspace then >

ah, but then it would be called a "provocation." >

We need to send a Winnie the Pooh blimp. >

Get the Macy's Parade people on the phone now! >

Oh bother. >

There, there piglet. >

I'm feeling a rumbly in my tumbly >

Time for something sweet! >

"Why won't you let us flagrantly violate your airspace with our surveillance tech? That's such an overreaction to protect your territory from our spying QQ" >

My question is, If Norad saw this coming since it left China air space, then who is responsible for letting it cross literally our entire country prior to shooting it down afterward? >

The best thing to assume in these circumstances is that arguably the world’s largest and most capable intelligence and military forces both agreed “let it do its thing”. Clearly there’s a reason why. If they’d thought it was a threat, it wouldn’t have made it two centimetres into US airspace. Sorry, it wouldn’t have made it 0.7874016 inches into US airspace. >

That and the US gets to publicly humiliate them.. as in, “we’re so not worried about your balloon we’re just gonna let it parade around for a few days, and say its yours to make YOU look like the asshole.” The technology that the military has would have absolutely destroyed it within miliseconds if it were deemed a real, viable threat IMO. >

Hey, we get to brag that one of our Raptors finally got to shoot down a foreign military aircraft. Over our own airspace for that matter!
The fact that the first confirmed aerial kill was a glorified weather balloon with cameras on it, I’d call it a win. >

Maybe also the highest air to air kill ever >

Not technically air, but an F-15 took out a satellite