Writing in Bitter Winter last year, I prophesied—without a crystal ball—that something similar would happen. And worse incidents in the future, too.
by Kok Bayraq


Now that two weeks have passed and the US-China balloon incident is no longer headline news, it may be time for some reflections on what exactly happened.
Last year, when Chinese rocket booster debris fell back to Earth for the third time, I prophesied the following: “The debris across Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Indian Ocean is a harbinger of catastrophes yet to occur during China’s rocket-like ascent to power.”
I also forecasted: “With the virus coming out of China, we all wear masks, and with more rocket debris caused by China in the coming years, we will all be wearing iron hats.”
Even though I didn’t have a crystal ball, last week, my prophecy (partially) came true when a Chinese spy balloon traveled across US airspace, from Alaska to Montana, and all the way to South Carolina.
The Pentagon did not dare shoot down the balloon over land due to the threat of debris harming citizens on the ground—remember what I said about iron hats?
Even though the Pentagon was able to drop the balloon in the ocean and avoid human injury, we can still worry. What if the spy balloon had been able to send stolen information to China in real time? In this case, it can be said that China is laying the groundwork for supremacy at some point in a future war. In other words, today’s claim that “we handled the spy balloon without damage” may be wrong. Perhaps the basis for more damage has been laid.
The purpose of modern wars is not to annihilate but rather to scare countries. When the other side admits that they are afraid, the aggressor has achieved its goal and may stop fighting.
Now, many officials, from US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg, are complaining about the known Chinese threat from the balloon. “The balloon… shows that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) has become more oppressive at home and more aggressive abroad,” Sherman said in a briefing to senators about the balloon.
Perhaps China won this balloon war.


The speed of military development in China, where its citizens could not be fully elevated from economic poverty, and did not transition to democracy, is not a natural development. The existence of an unnatural superpower is an indicator of future tragedy for humanity!
There is a saying among Uyghurs: “Don’t trust a prophecy, and don’t live without a prophecy.”
Political and military leaders should pay attention to prophecies, especially those made by the oppressed. Therefore, I repeat: China has already exceeded the speed limit on its way to becoming a superpower. Carrying out the Uyghur Genocide to secure the One Belt One Road initiative: causing rocket debris to fell three times in two years because of poorly qualified “experts”; substandard security at Wuhan Virology Lab that was suspected of causing COVID-19, are but some of China’s violations on this journey. Supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine, helping Burma’s army justify the Rohingya genocide, and supporting in the past other dictators in Libya and Serbia are among the other links in the chain of violations that China has committed. Gathering dictatorial regimes and poor countries against the free world is the fast track that China has chosen and insisted upon for decades.
If China completes its power mission safely, the second step will be implemented even faster, and nuclear bombs may rain down on us instead of rocket debris and spy balloons.
Four years ago, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, said, “I don’t know about the Uyghur issue,” and international activists protested his statement. However, I did not blame him, and I said that this was a positive statement for Uyghurs. Why? Because it was shocking and would be remembered for years, given that it was not what China expected. I stated in Bitter Winter that Imran Khan might even have said, “What China is doing to Uyghurs is the same as what [the] Prophet Muhammad did to his Ummah (the community of all Muslims).”
It was a kind of prophecy too, and it totally came true. On April 2, 2022, Imran Khan praised China, claiming that Beijing had lifted 700 million people out of poverty and also stated that China “followed the teachings of the Prophet [Muhammad].”
The praise, for Muslims, was a bigger insult than painting a picture of the Prophet, something that Islam forbids and others did. The Pakistani leader was applauding the murderers and those responsible of crimes against humanity.
Therefore, I believe that my prophecy of all of us being forced to wear iron helmets, which has now partially been fulfilled, will come fully true in the near future unless the world takes immediate action.
Like all countries, China has the right to be a superpower, but it should only strive for this result by following the rules.
Why do we worry about the speed of a driver rushing home on our roads, and we do not worry about superpower candidates exceeding the appropriate speed in all arenas, including aviation and space?
We can easily envision the damage if we compare the two situations. The world needs to write China a speeding ticket now.
The ticket should firstly state that China must stop the Uyghur Genocide and release more than three million Uyghurs who have been held in concentration camps for five years. Secondly, the source of the COVID-19 virus should be revealed, followed by compensation for victims and penalties for the guilty. Third, there must be an end to China’s support for Putin and an apology for the declaration and activation of “unlimited cooperation” with Russia.
These are only the most prominent examples of China’s growing damage to the world. No education on, warnings about, or even criticism of China would work without addressing these three issues. We will soon no longer have balloons over our heads; if nuclear bombs fly, one fifth and perhaps the entire population of the world will be annihilated.
What we saw with the earthquake in Turkey and Syria today, we will see in the free world with the coming China-quake.