It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a...Chinese spy balloon?

The Briefing

Last week a massive white balloon drifted across U.S. airspace before being shot down by the Air Force. But where did it come from? The US believes China was spying on its military camps with the 200ft balloon which contained sensors and surveillance equipment inside. The incident has sparked diplomatic tensions, China said the US overreacted by bringing the balloon down and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has cancelled his trip to China. So, what exactly was the balloon doing there and is this something that happens often?

In this episode, we speak to Jennifer Hsu, Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute, to find out more about the balloon and tensions between the US and China.

Headlines:

- Turkiye faces second disaster
- Tudge resignation triggers by-election
- Calls for Communications Minister to resign
- Composer Burt Bacharach dies

Follow The Briefing:

Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast
Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAU
Twitter: @TheBriefingAU

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapters

1. The Briefing Headlines Feb 10 (00:00:00)

2. The Briefing Topic (00:10:10)