The Chinese government is said to have spied on more than 40 countries with balloons. A senior official of the US State Department said on Thursday. The US military recently shot down one such balloon.
“We know that China has these Balloons used for surveillance,” the State Department official said. The equipment that shot down the balloon off the US coast had been “obviously used for intelligence research”.
Meteorological data?
As reported, the US military shot down a suspected spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Caroline state on Saturday. The US government now accuses the Chinese of trying to spy on military facilities. Beijing, in turn, spoke of a civilian research balloon for meteorological purposes. This was, of course, launching an “overreaction”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the crashed Chinese balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program. “The United States was not the only target of this broad program that violated the sovereignty of countries on five continents,” it said. On Thursday, the government said more than 40 countries were targeted.
USA: other equipment
She also gave more details about the crashed balloon. It is said to have had multiple antennas and was probably capable of “gathering and locating communications”. The conclusion: the equipment does not match that of weather balloons.
Nevertheless, the government in Beijing sticks to its presentation. “I think this is part of the information war the US is waging against China,” Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Thursday. The international community knows exactly who really is “the greatest espionage and surveillance empire”. US President Joe Biden said exchanges between the two countries continue and the US government will not seek conflict.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
