As of: 02/09/2023 9:36 p.m
The US government has substantiated its allegations of espionage against China with new details about the downed balloon. This is part of Beijing’s broad-based global surveillance program. China, on the other hand, speaks of an “information war”.
The US State Department has reinforced the allegation that the object is part of an extensive surveillance program with new details about the suspected Chinese spy balloon. This “violated the sovereignty of countries on five continents,” said Foreign Minister Blinkeen.
The US military shot down the white balloon on Saturday after it passed over the United States. The balloon had made it from the US state of Alaska to the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast before it was dropped from the sky.
FBI sources said only a few parts of the balloon had arrived at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for examination. So far, investigators have received parts of the balloon envelope, cables and “a very small amount of electronics”. It is still too early to judge what the balloon was used for and how it worked.
Efforts to salvage the balloon parts have been suspended due to high seas, US officials said. Some pieces of debris were discovered intact on the seabed, others had been brought to the surface by divers in the past few days.
USA took high resolution pictures of balloon
The US State Department bases its assessment on photos of the balloon. The Chinese balloon that was shot down had “multiple antennas”, was powered by solar panels and was probably able to “collect and locate intelligence-related communications,” the statement said. The US would have taken high-resolution images with the help of reconnaissance aircraft to determine the capabilities of the balloon. Its equipment does not match that of weather balloons.
“We know that these balloons are all part of a fleet of PRC balloons that have been developed for surveillance purposes,” the US State Department official said. These types of activities are often carried out under the direction of the Chinese military. “We are sure that the balloon manufacturer has a direct relationship with the Chinese military,” he said.
US media are now demanding that the images be made available to the public. The “Wall Street Journal” used a historical event as a model: “An instructive (…) precedent is the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when American U-2 spy planes took photos of the preparations for the deployment of more and more Soviet nuclear missiles 90 miles from Florida showed.” The United States should show the pictures that have now been taken “to the world public, together with experts who explain what they are revealing about China’s plans. It all belongs on the stage, not in the basement of the Pentagon!”
China speaks of US “information warfare”.
Even before these details were disclosed – and in response to Blinken’s comments – Beijing had bitterly complained about the ongoing espionage allegations from Washington. “I think this is part of the information war that the US is waging against China,” Beijing Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. The international community knows exactly who is really “the number one among the espionage and surveillance empires”.
At the same time, she repeated the statement that it was a civilian airship that accidentally entered US space due to force majeure. “Although we have repeatedly made this clear, the US used force to shoot it down, which is irresponsible,” she said.
US government: More than 40 countries targeted by China
But according to the US government, China has targeted more than 40 countries on five continents with a fleet of spy balloons. This was explained by a high-ranking ministry official. The US government is reaching out to countries directly to update them on the scope of China’s surveillance program.
At the same time, Washington emphasized that she was interested in open communication channels with Beijing and that Foreign Minister Blinken’s canceled visit should be made up for as soon as conditions allow.
After the balloon was launched, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin requested a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe, according to the Pentagon. However, the Chinese side turned this down.
US President Joe Biden tried to soften the tone in an interview with PBS on Wednesday evening. When asked if US-China relations had suffered a major blow from the downing, Biden replied with a resounding “no.” He can say this with certainty because the two countries are in exchange with each other. Biden reiterated that the US competes with China but does not seek conflict.
US House of Representatives condemns alleged espionage by China
On Thursday, the US House of Representatives unanimously condemned the alleged Chinese surveillance program linked to the downed suspected spy balloon.
The Republicans and Democrats in the Congressional Chamber showed unusual agreement on their stance. They voted 419 to zero to denounce the alleged program as a violation of US sovereignty.