02/06/2023
U.S. shoots down Chinese balloon
The United States last week downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flash point in tensions between Washington and Beijing. China denied any claims of spying and said it was a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. But, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a trip to Beijing because of the balloon’s flight.
■Class discussion: U.S. divers were working to recover debris from the downed balloon. Do you think it will show it to be a spy or a weather device? How aggressively do the United States and China spy on each other? Are relations between the nations getting better or worse? Do you think there is a danger of warfare between the countries? Where have Chinese and American forces fought in the past? How much do we depend on each other for trade?