2023-02-06 13:05:16

U.S. Downs Chinese Balloon as Blinken Cancels Summit & U.S. Expands Military Presence in Philippines

China has accused the United States of overreacting after President Joe Biden ordered a suspected spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Sunday. China maintains the balloon, first spotted over U.S. airspace last week, was a civilian aircraft blown off course. The U.S. and China have been conducting surveillance on each other for years using spy satellites, hacking and other means. The Pentagon has revealed Chinese balloons also entered the continental United States at least three times during the Trump administration, as well as once before under Biden. The balloon saga led to the abrupt cancellation of a planned trip by Secretary of State Tony Blinken to Beijing and threatens to further derail the relationship between the two countries. "The two countries need to speak to each other," says Nicholas Bequelin, a visiting fellow at Yale's Paul Tsai China Center and formerly the Asia-Pacific director for Amnesty International, in a wide-ranging interview about evolving U.S-China relations and potential for tensions to escalate further.

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. 

On DN!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

Missed an episode?  Check out DN on FSTV VOD anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips.

#FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change. 

#FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling, and online at freespeech.org.

Chinese Balloon Democracy Now! Nicholas Bequelin President Joe Biden Tony Blinken

Politics

The Thom Hartmann Program

The Thom Hartmann Program | The Right's Post-Truth America

The Thom Hartmann Program | The Right's Post-Truth America

The Rick Smith Show

The Rick Smith Show | An All-Out Assault on Organized Labor

The Rick Smith Show | An All-Out Assault on Organized Labor

FSTV Speaks

FSTV Speaks | Join the Fifty Fifty One Movement!

FSTV Speaks | Join the Fifty Fifty One Movement!

BreakThrough News

BreakThrough News | Whoever Controls the Congo, Controls the World

BreakThrough News | Whoever Controls the Congo, Controls the World

Related

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | Federal Workers Fight Back!

Democracy Now! | Federal Workers Fight Back!

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | USAID Shutdown? Elon Musk Claims Trump Agreed to Dismantle Agency

Democracy Now! | USAID Shutdown? Elon Musk Claims Trump Agreed to Dismantle Agency

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! | Voices for Peace: Israelis and Palestinians Unite

Democracy Now! | Voices for Peace: Israelis and Palestinians Unite

This Week In White Supremacy- Presented by 1HoodMedia

This Week In White Supremacy | Political Violence

This Week In White Supremacy | Political Violence

Proud Partners