Since the early days of the Cold War, the United States and China have been locked in a battle for supremacy in the skies. The latest skirmish in this ongoing conflict took place over the weekend when a U.S. Navy vessel shot down a Chinese spy balloon that was flying over the Atlantic Ocean.
This incident comes on the heels of reports that Colombia’s air force had spotted a similar balloon flying at an altitude of 55,000 feet in their airspace. Costa Rica also notified planes of the balloon’s presence in their airspace.
While China has claimed that the balloon was of a “civilian” nature and was only off-course due to weather conditions and its limited self-steering capability, it is hard to believe that this is anything other than a blatant attempt by China to spy on the United States and its allies. This most recent incident is just further proof of China’s continued efforts to undermine the United States and assert itself as a superpower on the world stage.
