Chinese spy balloon reportedly used US tech for spying
The Chinese spy balloon that was spotted over the United States (US) early this year used technology made by America that helped it gather audio-visual data, reported The Wall Street Journal, citing preliminary findings from a closely held probe on Wednesday. The findings support the conclusion that the balloon was intended for spying, not weather monitoring, as asserted by China.
Why does this story matter?
In February, the US downed an air balloon, claiming Beijing sent it to spy on key military sites. While China initially claimed the balloon was a weather balloon that had blown off course, it later claimed that over 10 US balloons had also breached its airspace since January of last year. Since the alleged spying incident, the already tense US-China ties have further worsened.
Key findings of US intelligence, defense agencies in balloon incident
Several US intelligence and defense agencies reportedly found that the balloon carried commercially available US technology with specialized Chinese sensors and other equipment to collect videos, photographs, and other data to transfer to China. On the other hand, the alleged spy balloon didn't send information from its eight-day passage over Canada, Alaska, and other contiguous American states back to China.
Know about Chinese 'spy' balloon incident
The alleged spy balloon was first discovered by the public on February 2 and was shot down on February 4 off the coast of South Carolina, sparking diplomatic tensions between Washington and Beijing. Nearly two months later, several media reports came out claiming that the balloon was able to get intelligence on US military bases during its flight.
US, China's take on balloon incident
While Chinese officials claimed that the move to shoot down the balloon was excessive, numerous other lawmakers felt that the indecision of US President Joe Biden to act sooner could have been catastrophic in terms of national security. However, the Chinese leadership and the Biden administration recently expressed a desire to move past the balloon incident.
Chinese spy balloon program over Taiwan and Japan: Report
Earlier this week, the BBC uncovered new evidence of an alleged Chinese spy balloon program over Taiwan and Japan. While confirming that balloons did fly over its territory, Japan warned that it was ready to shoot them down in the future. Notably, Japan is a close ally of America, and more American forces are stationed there than in any other foreign nation.
