The likely reason why the US waited a week to shoot down Chinese spy balloon

The United States military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, a week after it entered US airspace.

Former FBI agent and counter-espionage chief in Washington DC, Peter Strzok, says it was a “pretty sophisticated surveillance platform”.

US President Joe Biden authorised the shooting down of the balloon on Wednesday, but authorities waited until it was travelling over the ocean to shoot it down. Mr Strzok says this was partially to protect civilians, but there was also another reason why authorities likely waited.

Press PLAY below to hear why US authorities waited for days before shooting down the spy balloon

“I think, at the end of the day, the United States might be a greater recipient of intelligence than China was in this whole mess,” Mr Strzok told 3AW’s Ross and Russel.

“It has real impact on the sort of bilateral relationship between the PRC and the United States.”

Image: Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images