A Chinese laser and more downed flying objects stoke security fears

The Philippines accused China of aiming a laser at one of its coast guard vessels in the South China Sea, posing a risk to the recently strengthened security relations between the two nations. 

The Chinese Coast Guard ship “directed a military-grade laser” and made “dangerous maneuvers” at a Philippine vessel to block a resupply mission of the Philippine Navy in Ayungin Shoal, the Philippine Coast Guard said today. The Ayungin Shoal, also known as the Second Thomas Shoal, is located in the Spratly Islands and is currently controlled by the Philippines, though several other nations also lay claim to it.

The green laser was illuminated twice toward the Philippine ship, “causing temporary blindness” to some of its crew members.

The most recent incident was “a blatant disregard for, and a clear violation” of the Philippines’ sovereign rights, the Philippine statement added. The Chinese foreign ministry, however, claimed that the targeted vessel “intruded into the waters,” but noted that both sides “are in communication…through diplomatic channels.”

Confrontations between Chinese vessels and ships from other countries who lay territorial claims over parts of the South China Sea have grown in recent years — particularly with claimants such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. Many of those countries have accused Chinese ships of “intimidation” and other violations of territorial agreements in the contested waters.

Similar disputes over Chinese lasers have occurred in the past few years, most recently in February 2022 when Australia accused a Chinese naval vessel of pointing a “military grade” laser at its warplanes. China has signed the United Nations’ Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, however that only applies to the use of lasers against pilots — not ships.

Hot air swirls over “Balloon-gate”

Tensions between the U.S. and China continue to simmer over the series of flying objects that have been shot down in America this past month, prompting other countries to take stock of any security risks in their airspace.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry hit back at the U.S. for “overreacting” by shooting down the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that drifted into U.S. territory, and accused Washington of hypocrisy. “U.S. balloons have often entered other countries’ airspace illegally,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wāng Wénbīn 汪文斌 said today. “Since last year, U.S. high-altitude balloons have flown over Chinese airspace over 10 times without authorization from China.”

Wang added that “the U.S.’s downing of the unmanned airship with advanced missiles is a trigger-happy overreaction.”

“It’s interesting that the PRC is making a counter-accusation about spy balloons, but not admitting that at least the original PRC balloon was a spy balloon,” Gerard DiPippo, a senior fellow with the Economics Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told The China Project today. “It’d be more coherent if they said, ‘You do it too.’ Instead, it’s more like, ‘you do this thing that we don’t do, but which everyone knows we do too.’”

Washington was quick to deny Beijing’s statement: “Any claim that the U.S. government operates surveillance balloons over the PRC is false,” Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, said today on Twitter. “It is China that has a high-altitude surveillance balloon program for intelligence collection, that it has used to violate the sovereignty of the U.S. and over 40 countries across 5 continents.” 

“This is the latest example of China scrambling to do damage control. It has repeatedly and wrongly claimed the surveillance balloon it sent over the U.S. was a weather balloon and has failed to offer any credible explanations for its intrusion into our airspace, airspace of others,” Watson added.

Earlier on Sunday afternoon, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced that the U.S. shot down an unmanned “octagonal structure” above Lake Huron in Michigan near the Canadian border, the fourth object it has downed this month. China’s foreign ministry denied any knowledge of the latest three flying objects shot down by the United States.

No jaw-jaw? 

China confirmed that it had declined a request by the U.S. to hold a telephone conversation between their defense chiefs, amid anger from Beijing at Washington’s spying allegations. Although China has stated that the balloon was a civilian research craft, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his trip to Beijing over the political uproar, although he was careful to state he did not “cancel” it.  

“In my view, the Biden administration is actually not overhyping it. I actually think they would like to move past this,” DiPippo told The China Project last week. “It’s Congress that has different incentives and they’re the ones that are being more hyperbolic. What does it mean for the broader state of U.S. relations? It just feeds into the existing sensitivity and paranoia.”

“I don’t know how much people’s views about China will actually change because of this, but if anything, it’s going to marginally push I think the U.S. population to be more suspicious or hostile,” he added.

The incidents have also shined a spotlight on China’s program to develop “lighter-than-air vehicles.” It has also put other countries’ defenses on high alert, with the U.K. announcing plans to review its security. 

When asked about speculation behind “Balloon-gate,” DiPippo told The China Project that “what makes a lot more sense, and it’s just the simplest explanation, is that this was part of an existing program. There were many other balloons, at least in recent years, not just with the U.S. but elsewhere, released from China — maybe other locations for all we know — and that [were] basically green-lit.”

“To me, it’s like the Occam’s razor answer is whatever unit is launching these, [they] thought they had clearance,” he added.

Meanwhile, Taiwan said today that “dozens” of Chinese balloons have illegally crossed into its airspace in recent years, with the last incident occurring “just a few weeks ago.” Although the balloons that have drifted into Taiwan fly at a lower altitude and are made from a different material, their dimensions and payload are different from ordinary weather balloons that are allowed to enter foreign territory without prior approval under international law.