After the launch of a suspected spy balloon that hovered over the United States for days, the federal government is alarmed about possible Chinese espionage from local airspace. According to security circles, previous findings are not yet sufficient for an assessment.
In view of the international tensions between the USA and China over suspected spy balloons over both North and South America, the federal government is alarmed. In response to a question from the Süddeutsche Zeitung, security sources said the federal government "takes Chinese espionage and the current reports very seriously and is coordinating with its most important partners."
"The responsible authorities are working on clarifying the facts", was emphasized when asked whether such objects had also been sighted over German or European national territory. "Based on the knowledge available so far, assessments for Germany would be premature." The Federal Ministry of the Interior is responsible for counter-espionage in Germany and has taken the lead in this case, according to a preliminary report by the SZ. The Ministry of Transport is responsible for civil airspace and the Ministry of Defense for military issues.
The launch of a suspected Chinese spy balloon by the US military had previously exacerbated tensions between China and the US. Beijing protested against it, rejected the allegations of espionage and spoke of a civilian research balloon going astray. After the shooting, Beijing was angry and spoke of an "obvious overreaction".
Colombia and the US are also currently tracking a possible additional observation balloon that has been sighted over the Latin American country. The Colombian Air Force reported that an object with properties similar to a balloon had entered its airspace.
