Last fall, the Canadian military fished out Chinese observation buoys in the Arctic. The newspaper reported The Globe and Mail on Wednesday, February 22.
The Ministry of Defense of Canada did not provide additional information, but confirmed the interception. They indicated that the buoys can be used for dual-use technology, that is, for both civilian and military purposes.
The publication claims that the buoys could be used to chart the seafloor and ice thickness, as Chinese authorities are likely considering shipping through northern waters due to climate change.
Earlier, on February 10, the US military spotted a balloon in the airspace over Alaska, after which they shot down the aircraft. The object was tracked for 24 hours and shot down on the US border with Canada – over the northeastern part of Alaska.
In addition, on the night of February 3, a huge balloon, presumably Chinese, was seen in the sky over the States. Later, the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, said that the US military, on behalf of Joe Biden, shot down a Chinese-owned balloon that fell into American airspace.
The next day it became known that the object was shot down off the east coast of the country on the orders of US President Joe Biden. After that, on February 5, in connection with the incident, a serious presentation was made by Beijing to Washington. The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said the incident damaged relations between the two countries.
After that, on Feb. 14, White House National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby stressed that Washington does not seek conflict with Beijing in the wake of the downed balloon incident. He noted that the United States intends to keep channels of communication with China open.
