The Wall Street Journal published an article on the Chinese spy ball that flew above the US in early this year. It revealed that the equipment was made by American companies. New analysis of debris recovered from the downed spy balloon by US intelligence and defense agencies confirmed the presence commercially-available US equipment. “meteorological purposes.” Members of Congress are pressing the Biden administration to provide more information about the capabilities of the balloon. However, it is still a mystery as to why the balloon was allowed fly over sensitive US Military sites.
Important Points
1. According to an assessment by US Defense and Intelligence agencies, the Chinese spy ball allowed to float above the US this year was outfitted with American-made technology. The equipment found was interspersed with Chinese sensors, and other equipment used for intelligence gathering.
2. China has claimed that this balloon is for “meteorological purposes,” But the analysis has disproved this claim, and confirmed its intended purpose of spying and monitoring. The Biden Administration has not made public its findings regarding the balloon from the US and its components.
3. Members of Congress have urged the administration to disclose critical information regarding the capabilities of the balloon and how it was permitted to fly above sensitive US military sites. Republican senators wrote to Biden demanding an account of the platform’s mission, and what data it collected. A number of calls have been made to terminate the US-China agreement on science and technology cooperation due to fears about technology transfer.
Chinese Spy Balloon Equiped with American Technology Reveals Analysis By US Agencies
A new revelation regarding the Chinese spy ball incident that occurred earlier this year has been made in the wake of recent high-level discussions between US Secretary Antony Blinken of State and President Xi Jinping. The Wall Street Journal published an anonymous source article revealing that the spy ballon used by China in US territory was outfitted with American-made gear.
US intelligence and defense agencies conducted an analysis of the debris recovered after the stealth fighter jet shot down the spy balloon off the coasts of South Carolina, in February. Some of the items were easily available online. This result disproved China’s claim the balloon was intended for “meteorological purposes” It clarifies the purpose of intelligence gathering.
Unnamed officials confirmed that the US-made devices found in the debris were integrated with Chinese sensors and equipment designed to collect images, videos and other data to be transmitted to China. Biden Administration has not revealed these findings or disclosed information on the components from the US.
The lack of transparency is causing concern among some members of Congress, who are now pressing the administration to reveal critical information regarding the capabilities of this spy balloon. In a letter to President Biden from Republican Senators Roger Wicker, Marco Rubio and others, they demanded an explanation of the circumstances surrounding this surveillance platform’s flight over sensitive US military bases.
Officials involved in the analysis provided additional insights into the design of the spy balloon, describing it a satellite-like gadget equipped with high-tech cameras, solar panels to power the device, and devices that can capture photos, videos and radar data. The President Biden said that the balloon had a payload of equivalent to “two boxcars full of spy equipment.”
Investigators have tracked the purchase orders of some spy equipment, and found links between the buyers and the Chinese government. There are still many unanswered queries, which fuels the need for administration transparency regarding the mission of the spy balloon and the data collected during its surveillance.
Members of the Select Committee on Chinese Communist Party have written to Secretary Blinken urging him to end the Biden administration’s investigation into the CCP. “Agreement Between the United States and the People’s Republic of China on Cooperation in Science and Technology.” They claim that US researchers inadvertently helped China advance weather balloon technology. The Chinese then used this technology to monitor US military sites on US soil.
This information was revealed shortly after Blinken visited China to try to restore Sino-US ties. There have also been reports that the Biden administration is preparing to tighten up export controls for certain artificial intelligence chips headed towards China.
The Chinese spy ball incident has highlighted the importance of increased vigilance to safeguard national security. The US Government must respond to these concerns by giving the American people a complete account of the event and taking appropriate action to safeguard against future threats.
