03 February 2023

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: High-Altitude Weather Balloon Adrift in The Stratosphere

 American Media machine gone Gonzo! ... Wang Wei, a researcher at the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, had this to say " So far, this story has been catchy enough to get "retired generals" and "patriotic young men" in the US interested. Howeverr, it seems to me that this is not a media event, but rather a political balloon from Washington to maneuver the domestic audience before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives on his widely-expected first visit to China.

Like the news about high-ranking generals lately talking about a war with China by 2025, this news seeks to alarm US citizens that the threat from China is not remote, but everywhere and in everyday life. The US military is fully prepared and is ready to confront China.

14 hours ago · See suspected China spy balloon fly over US skies ... an inevitable march toward conflict – and make that dangerous scenario more likely.
11 hours ago · The US is tracking a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States, defense officials said on ...
6 hours ago · BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Chinese balloon drifting high above the U.S. and first revealed over Montana has created a buzz down below among ...
7 hours ago · They lashed out directly at President Joe Biden, arguing that the incident demonstrates that U.S. posture and policies are not deterring China.
4 hours ago · But it was just a run-of-the mill Chinese spy balloon! ... Biden's team worried that the incident would serve as more fodder for Republicans ...


✓  "...What really deserves attention during the whole "balloon incident" is that some US media outlets and "experts" have claimed Montana is a highly sensitive place due to the fact there are about 150 intercontinental missile launching sites there, with confidential military informatio

While the real question is why are the US hoarding such a large stockpile of weapons of mass destruction?
www.chinadaily.com.cn

Fabricated balloon lie cannot be tied down to China: Editorial flash

宋薇
2 minutes

A balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, US February 1, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media. Chase Doak/via REUTERS

"A conspiracy theory about a surveillance balloon over Montana has aroused wide attention in the US - even though the photo they took is unclear, and features no sign linking it to China.

There is no way to know who fabricated the lie, but we can be sure about the ignorance of the fabricator. Surveillance balloons being used as military technology dates back to the early 20th century, the technology is outdated one can hardly imagine any nation like China still resorting to it today; at the same time, the shortest route between Beijing and Montana is over 9,000km, which makes it impossible to precisely control the flight of this or any balloon.

Those fabricating the balloon lie are clearly attempting to portray China in two ways that are contradictory to each other, both ways of which lack support; they are so keen to describe China as an enemy that they give up all rationality in the process, exposing their ignorance and lack of common sense to the highest extent. . ." READ MORE 

Time to prick 'spy balloon' trick

chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2023-02-03 15:51

Editor's note: Pentagon has said it is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been spotted over the country's airspace in recent days. Four experts shared their views on the incident with China Daily. Excerpts follow:


More of a 'political balloon'

This morning Fox News said that a suspected Chinese spy balloon was hovering "over Montana", where there are "sensitive US ballistic missile assets".

CNN has posted the same story, saying that Pentagon has full custody of this "suspected Chinese surveillance balloon" and that "we have communicated the seriousness with which we take the issue". . .At a time when Sino-US diplomatic exchanges are being arranged, Washington hawks are getting in the way. For those who profit from Sino-US problems, the prospect of improving bilateral relations is definitely not a good sign.
But we shall not let their tricks succeed."


www.chinadaily.com.cn

Washington moves stoke tensions, Beijing says

关晓萌
4 - 5 minutes

By ZHAO JIA | China Daily | Updated: 2023-02-03 07:47

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Protesters hold anti-US placards during a rally in front of the military headquarters in Quezon City in suburban Manila on Thursday, as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez held a bilateral meeting. [Photo/Agencies]

"China on Thursday warned countries to stay alert and not let the United States exploit them, after the US and the Philippines announced plans to expand Washington's military presence in the Southeast Asian country.


Out of self-interest, the US has constantly strengthened its military deployment in the region with a zero-sum mentality. Such moves are escalating tensions in the region, and endangering regional peace and stability, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

"Countries in the region should remain vigilant against this and avoid being exploited by the US," Mao said at a daily news briefing.

Her remarks came as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced an agreement with Philippine Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez on Thursday that would grant US forces access to four more Philippine military camps.

The deal falls under the countries' Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which dates back to 2014. The New York Times reported that the deal marks the first time in 30 years that the US will have such a large military presence in the Philippines.

Austin arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday from the Republic of Korea, where he also expressed the US' readiness to increase its deployment of advanced weapons.

"China has always believed that defense and security cooperation among countries should contribute to regional peace and stability, rather than target a third party or harm a third party's interests," Mao said.

Also at the briefing, Mao urged the US to stop all official contacts and military ties with the Taiwan region, and refrain from creating new tensions across the Taiwan Straits, after Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen hosted the former head of the US "Indo-Pacific" Command Phil Davidson on Thursday.

"To solve the Taiwan question, it is a matter of the Chinese people and must be decided by the Chinese people," Mao said, stressing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory."

 CARTOONS China Daily

What Uncle Sam fears the most

By Luo Jie | China Daily | Updated: 2023-02-03 08:10

 


www.politico.com

Playbook PM: Balloon bursts Blinken’s trip

By GARRETT ROSS
12 - 16 minutes

BREAKING — Rep. VICTORIA SPARTZ (R-Ind.) announced she won’t “run for any office” in 2024, officially squashing any speculation that she might jump into the Senate race against fellow GOP Rep. JIM BANKS. Read her full statement

UP IN THE AIR — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN will postpone a previously scheduled trip to Beijing in light of the discovery of a suspected large Chinese spy balloon that has been floating above the U.S. this week, AP’s Matthew Lee reports.

Location update: Pentagon press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. PATRICK RYDER told reporters at a news conference that he couldn’t specify the balloon’s exact location, but it is “moving eastward at this time” and that it could continue to track over the U.S. for a few days. He said DoD is “reviewing options” and not shooting down the balloon given its altitude and the potential for debris to harm civilians. 

CBS’ Mary Walsh reports from a Pentagon source that it is “over ‘the middle of the country,’” noting that it is uncharted territory, as previous overflights occurred around Florida, Hawaii and Guam.

China, for its part, claimed the balloon is a “civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” according to a statement from the foreign ministry. “The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure.” More from NBC, who was first to report the news of the balloon’s presence

More reactions:

Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.), a Gang of Eight member: “It was a mistake to not shoot down that Chinese spy balloon when it was over a sparsely populated area. This is not some hot air balloon, it has a large payload of sensors roughly the size of two city buses & the ability to maneuver independently.”

Sen. MITT ROMNEY (R-Utah): “A big Chinese balloon in the sky and millions of Chinese TikTok balloons on our phones. Let’s shut them all down.”

Former President DONALD TRUMP on Truth Social: “SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!”
WHO SAW THIS COMING? — The U.S. job market unexpectedly boomed in January, adding 517,000 jobs, zooming well past Wall Street projections that had the figure pegged around 190,000. The unemployment rate fell to 3.4% — the lowest mark in more than 50 years.

In short: The blowout report is good news for President JOE BIDEN and Democrats ahead of the State of the Union address — but with a catch. The numbers could “stiffen the Federal Reserve’s determination to squeeze the economy to fight 40-year-high inflation,” our colleague Ben White writes, noting that the Fed’s “efforts to cool down the labor market by hiking interest rates at the fastest pace in decades are not yet having the desired impact.”

Here’s what the numbers mean for key players, per Ben:

  • Fed Chair JEROME POWELL: “Any single report can be an outlier and is unlikely to sway the Fed. But Powell is worried about the hot jobs market driving up wages, fueling inflation. So any news showing the market heating rather than cooling could be unwelcome.”
  • Biden: “The White House can view the report as evidence that economists’ predictions of an imminent recession are off-base. But inflation is Biden’s biggest enemy on the economy, and the report will cause some unease within the administration, given that it could mean the Fed will crack down harder on growth to curb prices.”
  • Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY: In the short term, the numbers “will undercut the argument by McCarthy and other Republicans that Biden’s economy is fading fast under the weight of inflation, which they say is driven by big spending bills.” But in the long view, “the more aggressive the Fed feels it has to be in killing inflation, the higher the risk that the central bank will push the economy into recession,” which Republicans could use against Democrats politically.
  • And, of course, LARRY SUMMERS: “The former Treasury secretary under former President BILL CLINTON has long been saying that more Fed rate hikes will be needed to rein in the labor market. This report could offer more fodder for that argument.”

At the White House, Biden spoke about the report before he left for Philadelphia. Flanked by outgoing CEA Chair CECILIA ROUSE and outgoing NEC Director BRIAN DEESE, Biden said the “state of the union and the state of our economy is strong.” At the end of his remarks, Biden told reporters in the room that he would only answer questions about the economy.

Asked why he doesn’t take any blame for inflation: “It was already there when I got here, man. Remember what the economy was like when I got here? Jobs were hemorrhaging, inflation was rising, we weren’t manufacturing a damn thing here. We were in real economic difficulty. That’s why I don't.”

HMMM — “Biden took out $250K line of credit against Delaware beach home amid Hunter probe, classified docs scandal,” by Fox News’ Joe Schoffstall: “Biden acquired the six-figure home equity variable rate line of credit from M&T Bank on Dec. 5, 2022, Sussex County filings show. Biden and his wife, first lady JILL BIDEN, initially purchased the residence in 2017 for $2.74 million, according to county records. It is unclear why Biden quietly secured the line of credit, which allows him to borrow up to a quarter of a million dollars against his home’s equity, and the White House did not respond to a Fox News Digital inquiry on the matter.”

Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com.




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