Making anglo North Americans even more paranoid and racist, getting them hyped for a war with China? Distract people from actually terrible things like the poisoned town in Ohio, increasing effects of climate change, our bleak present and even bleaker future? Is China just trolling the US and Canada? Aliens? What is going on lol
"Your galactic honor, we had to shoot down your diplomatic spaceship because we believed that it was a harmless balloon. There was simply no other option"