It's not a conspiracy. The amplified version of the story originated from Chinese state media as a direct response to the balloon story: https://www.bbc.com/new

It's not a conspiracy. The amplified version of the story originated from Chinese state media as a direct response to the balloon story: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64633990 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64633990 > At the same time, state media has begun focusing on a different narrative - a derailed train carrying hazardous material in Ohio. > Though the incident happened in early February, Chinese news outlets are now devoting significant coverage on the topic, citing US media reports. US officials have performed a controlled release of toxic chemicals from the train to prevent contamination. > It has since become a significant talking point on social media. On Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter, the main Ohio train hashtag has been viewed more than 690 million times since the weekend, with more than 40 hashtags created on the topic. > Many Chinese netizens have expressed worry that the incident would turn into a global environmental crisis, and anger over the relatively sparser coverage of the train incident in US media compared to the balloons. > "Turns out the Wandering Balloon was being used to take the heat for Ohio," a post liked nearly 3,000 times reads.