The 2023 high-altitude balloon
Alleged: Reported or claimed; not established in the public record.
On 4 February 2023 US fighter aircraft brought down a high-altitude balloon off the coast of South Carolina. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s statement called it a PRC surveillance balloon used “in an attempt to surveil strategic sites”. China’s foreign ministry said it was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that had strayed off course.
Documented
The Pentagon statement and China’s statement are both public. China said it “regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure”.
Claimed, disputed or not established
The US says the balloon had a surveillance purpose; China says it was civilian. The sources opened do not settle the dispute, and no PRC agency or military unit is named in them.
Sources (opened in a new tab)
- US Mission China: Statement from Secretary of Defense Austin (4 Feb 2023) ↗https://cn.usembassy.gov/statement-from-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii/
- PBS NewsHour/AP: China says balloon was meteorological and strayed ↗https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/china-says-balloon-spotted-over-u-s-for-meteorological-research-and-strayed-from-course
Connected
- Section: China
- Countries: China, United States
- Case board · Timeline (2023) · Document vault