As the tension with Beijing increases, the United States accused the Chinese military of conducting large-scale aerial espionage using balloons in five continents and more than 40 countries.

Iran PressAmerica: The Chinese balloon first spotted over Montana and then shot down off the East Coast over the weekend — has been an issue that again inflamed tensions between Washington and Beijing and reignited calls for the US to take a more aggressive approach toward dealing with China.

Finally, on Saturday evening, February 4 , the US military shot down the Chinese balloon with an F-22 fighter jet off the coast of Carolina, this has led to increasing the tension between Washington and Beijing,

The US State Department officials said Thursday that the balloon was part of a large aerial spy program and was equipped with multiple antennas and other equipment made to collect sensitive information. The official also said the manufacturer of the balloon has “a direct relationship with China’s military and is an approved vendor” of the army.

China has denied the balloon was used for spying and claimed it was a meteorological device that had simply flown astray, a claim quickly and repeatedly batted down by U.S. officials at the Pentagon and State Department. Beijing has also claimed the US “overreacted” by shooting the balloon down. 219