The Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US earlier this year was equipped with American-made technology to capture images, videos, and other information, according to US authorities. They cited preliminary results from a secret probe.
After the US military shot down the balloon nearly five months ago, several defense and intelligence agencies, along with the FBI, analyzed the debris. The already tense relationship between the US and China was thrown into further, unanticipated turmoil by this occurrence.
Equipped With US Technology Available for Commercial Sale
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the authorities claimed the balloon was packed with commercially accessible US gear, some of it for sale online, and specialized Chinese sensors and other equipment to take images, video, and other data for China. They concluded that the aircraft was designed for surveillance, not weather observation, as Beijing claimed.
ABC News reported that the first officer was unable to confirm whether or not any American equipment had been supplied illegally to China. Nevertheless, he did indicate that the issue of whether or not the equipment had been obtained via illegal commerce was of great concern to authorities.
The said spy balloon collected data throughout its eight-day flight across Alaska, Canada, and the contiguous US, but officials claimed it did not seem to transfer anything to China.
The Pentagon claimed the US military used countermeasures to prevent the balloon from collecting information, but authorities refused to specify whether the airship malfunctioned.
This Event Strained the Already Bitter US-China Ties
The balloon's discovery and shootdown interrupted a blossoming reconciliation between Washington and Beijing, leading to recriminations and increased mistrust and tensions.
In recent weeks, the Biden administration and the Communist leadership have begun a tentative reset, signaling they desire to put the balloon issue behind them.
This month, US President Joe Biden termed the balloon "more embarrassing than it was intentional" for Chinese authorities. "That chapter should be closed," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC last week during a delayed visit to Beijing.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials worry that the US balloon report would drive Beijing to respond strongly, perhaps derailing high-level discussions, according to Wall Street Journal. Blinken is sending Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to Beijing early next month, and both countries are seeking to arrange a meeting between Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this year.
Meanwhile, the Defense Intelligence Agency and other sectors of the US military reportedly sought to exhibit balloon debris. Similar actions were taken by the Defense Department in 2017 with Iranian weaponry the Pentagon said was deployed in Yemen and the Persian Gulf to demonstrate Tehran's "malign activity" in the Middle East.
