How a Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon over Montana Has Thrown a Wrench in US-China Relations

Grid spoke with Jacob Stokes, a senior fellow in the Indo-Pacific security program at the Center for a New American Security, to get at the questions — about the balloon, the U.S.-China relationship and the potential geopolitical fallout.

Grid: What was your initial reaction when you saw the news about the balloon yesterday?

Jacob Stokes: It is obviously a very important development. I think it’s certainly notable because we don’t often directly see Chinese activities related to the continental United States. A lot of times when we’re talking about U.S.-China geopolitical competition, we’re talking about places primarily in East Asia, places like Taiwan or the South China Sea. I think what this shows as well is that the geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China includes China spying on the United States, using a wide variety of means. That’s something that certainly those of us in the national security community know and have sort of taken for granted. But this was a very visible reminder of that fact.

Read the full interview and more from Grid News.