An amateur balloon organization in the US state of Illinois said that one of their miniature balloons disappeared over Alaska on the 11th, which happened to be the same day that the US military shot down an unidentified flying object in Canada's Yukon Territory.

The picture is a file photo provided by an amateur balloon organization in Tennessee to the Associated Press, saying that the US military shot down this type of balloon.

(Associated Press)

U.S.-China Consensus on Managing Conflict Should Not Get Out of Control Over Balloons

[Compilation of Sun Yuqing/Comprehensive Report] The US Northern Command stated on the 17th that it has completed the salvage operation of the wreckage of the Chinese high-altitude balloon, which will be further analyzed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The existing results confirm that this is the spy balloon.

In addition, the U.S. shot down three other UFOs in Alaska, the Yukon Territory of Canada, and Lake Huron in Michigan, but no wreckage was found, and the search operations have been cancelled.

According to the analysis of scholars in Beijing, the US and China do not want bilateral relations to get out of control due to the balloon incident, and they are expected to find a compromise.

Wang Yi accuses US of 'hysteria'

At the same time, Wang Yi, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee, at the Munich Security Conference on the 18th, bombarded the United States for handling the balloon incident as "unimaginable and hysterical". There are so many balloons in the world, so is the US going to shoot them all down?" As for whether he will try to resume the US-China dialogue with the US delegation, he pointed out that the US has a wrong view of China and urged the US to "show sincerity and correct mistakes."

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White House National Security Council spokesman Kirby said on the 17th that the US diplomatic communication channels with China are still open, and Secretary of State Blinken can still talk to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, "but unfortunately, the military hotline has not yet been connected."

He also mentioned that now is not the right time for Blinken to visit China, but President Biden hopes to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping at an "appropriate time" without preconditions, but has not yet formally invited.

The Northern Command pointed out that the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and FBI personnel have completed the search for the wreckage of a Chinese high-altitude balloon off the coast of South Carolina on the 16th, and have recovered key equipment including the payload below the balloon, so as to understand whether the balloon was killed. What was used to monitor and collect, all the wreckage has been sent to the FBI's Virginia State Laboratory for counterintelligence investigation and analysis.

No wreckage found for three other UFOs

Northern Command and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police each later announced they had called off search operations after systematic searches for three UFOs shot down in Alaska, Michigan and Canada failed to find any wreckage.

U.S. intelligence agencies believe the three UFOs are most likely balloons linked to private businesses, the entertainment industry or research institutions.

The Northern Illinois Bottle Cap Balloon Brigade, an amateur balloon organization in Illinois, USA, revealed on their website that one of their miniature balloons "K9YO" lost contact in the air near Hagmeister Island, Alaska on the 11th. The altitude reached was 11,560 meters. On the same day, a U.S. F-22 fighter jet shot down an unidentified flying object with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile over the Yukon region of Canada. It is not ruled out that the two are the same object. .

If this is the case, the U.S. would use a missile costing US$439,000 (approximately NT$13.46 million) to shoot down a balloon worth only US$12 (approximately NT$368).

Tao Wenzhao, a researcher at the Institute of American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, analyzed that when the heads of state of the United States and China met at the end of last year, they had reached a consensus on managing conflicts and strengthening cooperation. .

Wang Yong, a professor of international relations at Peking University, also believes that the US and China's remarks on the balloon incident are partly in response to domestic political pressure, but they also show their willingness to strengthen dialogue.

The diameter of the miniature balloon is about 81 centimeters, and it is equipped with electronic equipment for amateur players to satisfy the fun of launching transmitters and setting up antenna systems.

(Associated Press)