Berlin.
A Chinese spy balloon has been spotted over the United States. German politicians are also alarmed – and are demanding reactions.
After a suspected espionage balloon originating from China was sighted over the USA, there are also reports German politicians alarmed. The incident makes it clear that China itself no longer respects the airspace over the United States, said Michael Brand, human rights policy spokesman for the Union faction, to “Bild”. The deputy chairman of the Union faction for foreign affairs and defense, Johann Wadephul, described the incident as a “warning signal”.
Chinese spy balloon over the US: Does the information also go to Russia?
The supposed one seems particularly explosive espionage given the close relationship between China and Moscow. Possible findings could be passed on to Russia by the Chinese government. CDU politician Brand points out, for example, that China’s President Xi Jingping is expected to hold bilateral talks in Moscow. “We will have to be prepared for a tough race for global dominance by dictatorship or democracy,” said the China expert. Also read the comment: USA and China – The world does not need a new war
Also in “Bild”, the former chief of staff in the Federal Ministry of Defense, Nico Lange (CDU), called for the federal government to be more aware of the problem of China’s espionage activities in Germany as well. The Federal Republic must think about its security precautions, because China is involved in espionage and industrial espionage “also very active in Germany”. CDU politician Wadephul called for the establishment of a “national security council” in Germany based on the US model.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution sees significant activities by Chinese intelligence services in Germany
So far, the federal government has not reacted to the incident in the USA or the resulting demands. At the beginning of the year, Thomas Haldenwang, President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, emphasized to the German Press Agency (dpa) that, among other things, intelligence services from China would develop significant activities in Germany. More on the subject: Espionage Provocation – Is a War Between the USA and China Imminent?
The balloon was sighted on Friday, among other things, near an air force base in the US state of Montana, in which ICBMs equipped with nuclear warheads are stored. In the United States, there were then calls to shoot down the balloon. The Pentagon initially rejected this: falling debris could have posed a danger to people on the ground.
More articles on espionage
Dispute over suspected espionage balloon: China rejects allegations
China meanwhile rejects any allegations of espionage and speaks of a research balloon that is used in particular for “meteorological purposes” and has gone off course due to “force majeure”. “We do not accept groundless speculation and propaganda,” Beijing’s foreign ministry quoted top foreign policy chief Wang Yi as saying from his telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday. He had the penetration of the “surveillance balloon” in the airspace USA as “unacceptable” and “irresponsible” and canceled a planned trip to China.
A second balloon appeared over Latin America on Saturday. “In our estimation, it’s another Chinese one spy balloon“, explained Pat Ryder, spokesman for the US Department of Defense. Meanwhile, China accused “some politicians and media in the USA” of using the incident as an excuse “to attack and slander China”. (with dpa/afp)
More articles from this category can be found here: Politics
