中国侦测气球飞入美国，又挑起了美国和西方的反华情绪。一个吹进美国的中国气象侦测气球，说得客气点，让西方政客和记者们再度躁动起来。
尽管中国外交部澄清，所谓的间谍气球是民用研究“飞艇”，用于收集天气数据，但由于强风和气球转向能力有限，“偏离了计划的航向”，但事态发展就如美国记者克里斯托弗所说，“这将是人们记忆中最愚蠢的新闻周期之一”。
另一评论员凯特琳·约翰逊（Caitlin Johnson）就谴责说：“整个美国政治/媒体阶层……对五角大楼声称的中国间谍气球入侵随之起舞”。
中国外交部虽澄清，“中方对飞艇因不可抗力意外进入美国领空表示遗憾”。但这似乎只是给美国火上浇油。
美国国务卿安东尼布林肯取消了对中国的外交访问，而美国的战争鹰派则霸占大众媒体敲响战鼓，呼吁对气球的“攻击”事件和任何来自中国或与中国有遥远关系的事物进行报复。
“除了空中有一个巨大的中国气球，我们手机上有数百万个中国TikTok‘气球’，”美国参议员米特罗姆尼（Mitt Romney）在推特上写道。“让我们将它们全部‘射’下来。”
少数独立评论员就指出，即使入侵气球具有间谍潜力，美国人也没有理由失去理智或失控。
他们指出，与美国卫星一样，中国卫星技术已经可以精准读取到路上汽车的车牌。因此，气球间谍对中国军方而言几乎没有或根本没有增值作用。
其次，各大国政府都在相互监视，而美国自二战结束后，就保持著世界最大的情报体系。这个记录可从美国在2023年的军事预算估计为7780亿美元（3.34兆令吉）中反映出来，而中国为2520亿美元（1.08兆令吉），印度729亿美元（3139亿令吉），俄罗斯是617亿美元（2654亿令吉），英国592亿美元（2547亿令吉）。
据西方消息来源估计，美国有123颗军用卫星正在环绕地球运行。相比之下，俄罗斯有74颗军用卫星，而中国只有68颗。
五角大楼的初步评估就在这股歇斯底里的反应中被忽略了，当时是这样写的：有关“气球”收集到的情报，不会比中国可能通过类似近地轨道卫星等所收集到的更有价值。
中国的动机
当然也不排除，中国的侦测气球有双重用途，既可以收集天气信息，也可用于收集位于美国蒙大拿州空军核设施的机密。
也有可能中国侦测气球飞进美国的路径并非意外，而是对美国企图升级其反华政策的回应，其中包括一些观察家所认为，这是反击美国对中国的最新一轮军事围堵，即美国与菲律宾政府的最新协议，允许美军在菲国再增建四个军事基地。目前美军在菲律宾、日本和韩国，都有军事基地。
其他可能的原因，包括中国对美国空军上将发布的对华开战备忘录的深思熟虑和巧妙的回应。无需在媒体上大谈特谈。只需发送一个气球让美国主战派击落并宣布胜利。
也有可能中国侦测气球是在测试美国防御能力的试验气球，警告如果美国在南海或中国地区进行军事冒进，中国有能力在美国心脏地带，即大多数美军驻扎的地方进行报复。
目前，“间谍”飞艇于美国境内飞行数日后，美国军方最终击落了它，向世界表明其有能力保卫国土，免受来自中国那一个只有三辆巴士般大小但成本不高的气球之袭击。但很明显，美国的空军和军队需要更多的预算来应对即将到来的战争，以维护美国的“自由、生活方式和主权”。
至于中方，布林肯的访华被推迟甚至取消，中国方面不必过于担心，因为布林肯已是公认的战争鹰派。自伊拉克战争以来，布林肯一直积极推动美国的干涉主义政策。他是支持美国推翻利比亚前总统卡达菲的坚定拥护者，也支持以色列和以色列对巴勒斯坦人的压迫。
布林肯的鹰派资历也可以从他通过咨询公司West-Exec Advisors为军工联合体游说中推断出来，West-Exec Advisors是他在被拜登任命主导美国外交政策前与他人共同创立的一家公司。
中国现在最应关心的应是避免向美国附近发射更多的侦测气球，以免给美国社会带来更多的噩梦，并为仇视中国的游说团体提供借口。
林德宜《美国对中国气球歇斯底里》原文：USA Hysteria as China’s Balloon Flies Over
Another day. Another happening to hype up the US and West against China
A China weather balloon that has blown into the US has put Western politicians and journalists’ bowels in an uproar to put it mildly.
Although clarified by China's foreign ministry that the alleged spy balloon was a civilian research "airship" for gathering weather data which "deviated far from its planned course" due to strong winds and the balloon's limited steering capabilities, the development has precipitated what American journalist Christopher Hooks has described as "one of the stupidest news cycles in living memory". Caitlin Johnson has weighed in to condemn what appears to be “the entire American political/media class … having an existential meltdown over what the Pentagon claims is a Chinese spy balloon.”
China’s Foreign Ministry had clarified that "The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure". But this seems to have only added fuel to the US fire.
American Response
Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled his diplomatic visit to China whilst US war hawks have hogged the mass media to beat the war drums and call for retaliation on the ‘attack’ balloon and anything from China or remotely related to China.
“A big Chinese balloon in the sky and millions of Chinese TikTok balloons on our phones,” tweeted Senator Mitt Romney. “Let’s shut them all down.”
A small minority of independent commentators have noted that even if the balloon had spying potential, there is no reason for Americans to lose their minds or control of their bowels.
They point out that Chinese satellites, as with US satellites, already can read the licence plates of cars in the target country. Hence there is little or no value added for the Chinese military from the balloon.
Secondly, all major governments spy on each other with the world spying record held by the US since the end of the second world war. This is a record which is apparent from the military budget of the US estimated at US$778 billion for 2023 compared with that of China’s $252 billion, India’s $72.9 billion, Russia’s $61.7 billion and UK’s 59.2 billion.
It has also been estimated by western sources that 123 US military satellites are circling the earth.. By comparison, Russia has 74 military satellites whilst China has 68.
The Pentagon's initial assessment, lost in the hysterical response, is that the balloon "does not create significant value added over and above what the PRC is likely able to collect through things like satellites in Low Earth Orbit."
China’s Possible Motives
It is possible that the China balloon may be a dual purpose one which permits the collection of weather as well as information from the US air force nuclear facility in Montana.
It is also possible that the flight path of the balloon was no accident but a response to US attempts at escalation of its anti-China policies which has included what some observers see as further military encirclement of China through the latest deal of the US with the Philippines government which allows the US four more military bases in the Philippines, in addition to the current US ones in the Philippines, Japan and South Korea.
Other possible reasons include a deliberate and ingenious response to the memo on war with China and shoot to kill guidance issued by a US air force general. No need to engage in hot air and rhetoric over the media and airwaves. Simply send across a balloon for the war hawks to shoot down and claim victory.
It could also be that the China balloon is a trial balloon aimed at testing the defence capabilities of the US and a warning that China has the capability to retaliate at the US heartland should there be a US military adventure in the South China Sea or China region where most of the US military forces are parked at.
What can happen next?
For now, the US military has shown to the world by finally shooting down the 'spy' airship after its several days cruising in US territory that it is able to defend the country against a gigantic three bus-sized though economy priced balloon from China. But it is clear that its air force and military needs a much bigger budget for the coming war to preserve American ‘freedom, way of life and sovereignty’.
As for China, it should not be too concerned over the postponement or even cancellation of Blinken's visit given that he is a long time confirmed war hawk. Blinken has been actively involved in American interventionist policies since the Iraq war. One of the US strongest advocates for the overthrow of Libyan president Muammar al-Gaddaf, he is a supporter of Israel and the oppression of the Palestinian people.
Blinken’s hawkish credentials can also be deduced from his time as a lobbyist for the military-industrial complex through West-Exec Advisors, a firm he co-founded before being appointed by Biden to lead U.S. foreign policy.
The chief concern for China now should be to avoid sending any more balloons near to the US in case this brings about more nightmares to the American public and provides further justification to the hate China lobby.
