(WWJ) - As the much talked about surveillance balloon was caught floating above the Carolinas on Saturday, reports of a second suspected Chinese-backed spy balloon flying over Latin America continued to stir up concerns in the U.S.
Are the twin balloons something to be worried about? Does it signal the further deterioration between Beijing and D.C.?
Or... is it just all hot air?
Oakland University Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Chinese Studies, Richard Stamps, joined WWJ's Ryan Wrecker on Saturday afternoon to discuss his thoughts on the balloons.
"All superpowers gather information on other countries, even their friends," Stamps told Wrecker. "So they are gathering information."
The suspected Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. is slowly drifting toward the U.S. Atlantic Coast, the Associated Press reported. Authorities in the Carolinas warned people not to take potshots at the balloon with their weapons.
Stumps said the surveillance gathering comes as no shock, especially since the Americans are doing the same exact thing, but in a different way.
"Currently, we have spy planes that fly up and down the coast of China with trained linguists listening to civilian and military broadcasts," Stumps explained. "They're listening for chatter that may alert some kind of action."
Stamps said the China's choice to use a balloon is what strikes him as most interesting, calling the device an "old technique."
"The Chinese have been doing balloons since ancient times, right? So it's just a little bit of using some lower tech to carry the cameras and data collection information."
The Pentagon has been closely tracking the balloon as it flew over sensitive military sites in North America.
As of 2:45 p.m., the balloon was brought down in the Atlantic, the AP confirmed, and efforts are now underway to recover the debris.
The administration previously hesitated to shoot the balloon because of the risk to people on the ground.
"James Bond is more than just fiction: it's a reality out there," Stamps said.
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