On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the United States of sending high altitude balloons into its airspace on round-the-world flights without permission. This accusation was made in response to an incident earlier this month when the US Military shot down a balloon they said was a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. China however counter argued that its balloon was actually a civilian research vessel mistakenly blown off course by strong winds.

The US White House flatly denied China’s claims and US intelligence officials are currently assessing the possibilities of the balloon being diverted off course or potentially deliberately maneuvered into the continental US. China however maintains that it had some ability to maneuver the balloon once it was over Montana and believes it was used to collect intelligence.

The diplomatic dispute between China and the US has been reignited and tensions are growing as both countries accuse each other of espionage. With students around the US discussing the shoot