The United States believes the balloon is part of a series of Chinese spy balloons that have flown over more than 40 countries on five continents.
of the United States The Chinese balloon that flew above last week was intended for spying, the US State Department said on Thursday. The matter is reported, among other things, by the US media The New York Times.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ball’s equipment could pick up communication signals. The United States believes the ball is part of a series of Chinese spy balloons that have flown over more than 40 countries on five continents, The New York Times reports.
of the United States sightings of the ball flying above were reported for the first time a week ago on Thursday. The United States shot the ball down last Saturday over the sea in South Carolina, on the east coast of the country. A similar ball was also previously spotted over Latin America.
China has claimed that the ball that flew over the United States was for civilian use and intended mainly for observing the weather. According to China, the ball had ended up over the US by accident.
of the United States however, according to the press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the equipment of the balloon was clearly for reconnaissance and contradicted the equipment of the weather balloons. The equipment of the ball was examined with the help of high-resolution images.
The sphere had several antennas that were likely able to collect and locate communications, the State Department says, according to The New York Times. In addition, the solar panels on the sphere were large enough to generate power to power several data-gathering sensors.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the country’s administration strongly believes that the company that manufactured the ball has direct commercial connections with the Chinese armed forces.
However, US officials are not sure what kind of communications the ball was trying to collect and what targets it was tracking.
Balls caused a diplomatic row between China and the United States when the findings led to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken decided to postpone his visit to China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, condemned the shooting down and the use of force against the aircraft in the strongest possible terms. China also threatened to “reserve the right to respond to US actions” as it sees fit.
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