Did China spy on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands with a mysterious 'sphere-shaped object'?

The US recently accused China of spying using a balloon, which was spotted in the American airspace and later shot down by fighter jets on President Joe Biden's orders. China called America's response "hysterical" and denied the claims by saying that it was a "civilian airship" meant for research purposes.

The US also claimed that China has been spying on dozens of other nations, including India and Japan. Although China keeps denying it, several reports suggest that Beijing might have.

In January 2022, an unidentified object was reportedly seen hovering over Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, according to reports. The sphere-shaped, white-coloured object, had caused panic as it was seen in a region which has an Indian Navy base.

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The object was reported to have antennas and it looked uncannily similar to the one shot down by the US. Last year's reports have resurfaced after the recent balloon saga, which escalated tensions between the US and China.

However, the reports were barely noticed by the mainstream media and just a few local outlets published it. And the issue died down without any official response. Some reports even said that there was confusion over whether it was a stratospheric balloon used for data collection for weather patterns, or if it was something else.

Local media outlet Andaman Sheekha reported that there was mixed opinion after the balloon was spotted. Some suspected it to be a weather balloon, but some raised suspicion over the object as it had "eight dark panels", which were attached to it.

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The strategic importance of the region

If the object was actually meant for spying, then it hovered over a region which is strategically important to India.

Indian forces conduct regular drills in the region to counter the rising Chinese influence.

In the region, India also has the Andaman and Nicobar Command, which is the first and only tri-service theatre command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The command has assets of the Navy, the Air force and the Army, which are working together.

Apart from the military, India also keeps a close watch on all the activities in the region in regard to the trade route as China is eyeing most trade channels, which cut through the region.

Just days ahead of the time the object was reported to be seen over the islands in 2022, a joint exercise involving the three forces was carried out, at the end of December 2021.

Was the so-called spy balloon linked to the Indian military exercises? Was it there to collect data on military exercises?

There is no definitive answer unless the Indian government releases an official statement on it. But so far, there's none.

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