Chinese spy balloon memes taking off after Pentagon reports sighting
An alleged “Chinese spy balloon” is reportedly flying over the continental United States, and memes making light of the situation are taking off.
The object flew over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and through Canada before appearing over the city of Billings in Montana on Wednesday, US officials said.
A Pentagon official said “we are confident that this high-altitude surveillance balloon belongs to the [People’s Republic of China],” CNN reports.
Let’s take a look at the memes that have been flourishing since the Chinese balloon was spotted.
Pentagon says it has been tracking the balloon for days
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said the US government has been tracking the balloon for several days as it made its way over the northern United States, adding that it was “traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”
A senior US defense official said senior military officials had advised President Joe Biden not to shoot it down as the debris could pose a safety threat to people on the ground.
Beijing has now confirmed that the balloon is in fact Chinese and entered US airspace unintentionally, The Hill reports.
The ‘spy’ balloon comes against a backdrop of worsening US-China relations
Relations between the US and China have reached new lows in recent years, with some analysts describing this era as a ‘new cold war.’
Against this tense backdrop, amusing memes about the Chinese spy balloon provide some welcome relief to those hoping for a thaw in relations between the two countries.
Twitter is blowing up with Chinese ‘spy’ balloon memes
Netizens have been getting creative, curating a series of pop culture references to diffuse the tension. Here are some of the best Chinese “spy” balloon memes we have seen so far:
Several Twitter users posted photos of a Donald Trump-themed inflatable, jesting that it was the Chinese balloon.
One Twitter user joked that the balloon was carrying their order from Chinese online retailer Wish.
Don’t shoot down that Chinese spy balloon! That may be carrying my Wish order from 6 months ago!
— Larry’s Twin- ThiccHotDad.org (@LarrysTwin99) February 3, 2023View Tweet
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