espionage
Ballon is said to have collected data on US military locations
The Chinese balloon is said to have collected data on US military locations. photo
© Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette/AP/dpa
According to reports, the Chinese balloon over the US, which led to rifts between Washington and Beijing, spied on the US military. The US government is said to have prevented worse.
According to US media reports, the Chinese observation balloon, which the US shot down over the Atlantic a month ago, is said to have collected information about several American military locations. The balloon also reportedly transmitted real-time information to Beijing, broadcasters CNN and NBC News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The US government did not confirm the reports.
In early February, the US military shot down the balloon after days of flying over the United States. The United States accused China of espionage, which Beijing denied. Washington said at the time that the US took immediate steps during the flyover to prevent the balloon from collecting sensitive information and reduce its intelligence value for China.
China was able to maneuver the balloon to fly over some of the sites multiple times, NBC News reported, citing senior government officials. Much more information could have been gathered from sensitive locations had the US government not restricted the balloon’s capability. In principle, their usefulness is limited compared to information that China can collect with low-Earth satellites.