The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023.
A suspected Chinese spy balloon moments after being shot down over South Carolina in February 2023.
  • More Chinese spy balloons appear to be drifting around.
  • This time, Beijing is flying the balloons over neighboring Taiwan. 
  • Last year, China sparked a diplomatic crisis when it floated a spy balloon over the US. 

China's high-altitude balloons are back.

And this time Beijing is flying the balloons over neighboring Taiwan, possibly as an ominous warning message before the self-governing island's high-stakes elections.