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Friday 10 February 2023
U.S. says China balloon could collect intelligence signals

been able to study and
scrutinize the balloon and
its equipment.
“We will continue to an-
swer the dangers posed by
the PRC with determina-
tion and resolve,” Sherman
said, referring to the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China.
“We will make clear to the
PRC that violations of our
sovereignty and the sov-
ereignty of other countries
are unacceptable.”
At a separate Senate sub-
committee hearing, law-
makers repeatedly pressed
administration officials, in-
cluding Pentagon military
leaders, about why the
balloon was not shot down
over sparsely populated
areas of Alaska. And they
questioned whether al-
lowing the balloon to tran-
sit such a large area set a
In this image provided by the FBI, FBI special agents assigned to the evidence response team process material recovered from the
high altitude balloon recovered off the coast of South Carolina, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Va. precedent for future spying
Associated Press efforts by China and others.
“It defies belief that there
Continued from Front cal airship that had blown Senior FBI officials who ity, said an analysis of the was not a single opportu-
off course and that the briefed reporters on the balloon debris was “in- nity to safely shoot this spy
A statement from a senior U.S. had “overreacted” by condition of anonymity consistent” with China’s balloon prior to the coast of
State Department official shooting it down. under ground rules set by explanation that it was a South Carolina,” said Sen.
offered the most detail to “It is irresponsible,” Mao the bureau said just a few weather balloon that went Susan Collins, R-Maine. “By
date linking China’s mili- said. The latest accusations, pieces of the balloon had off course. The U.S. is reach- the administration’s logic
tary to the balloon that was she said, “may be part of arrived at the FBI’s Quan- ing out to countries that we would allow the Chi-
shot down by the U.S. last the U.S. side’s information tico, Virginia, lab for investi- have also been targeted, nese to fly surveillance bal-
weekend over the Atlantic warfare against China.” gation. So far, investigators the official said, to discuss loons over the Pentagon
Ocean. The public details Underscoring the tensions, have parts of the balloon the scope of the Chinese or other sensitive sites and
outlining the program’s China’s defense minister canopy, wiring, and what surveillance program, and populated areas.”
scope and capabilities refused to take a phone one official called “a very is looking into potential ac- Melissa Dalton, assistant
were meant to refute Chi- call from Defense Secretary small amount of electron- tion that “supported the defense secretary of
na’s persistent denials that Lloyd Austin to discuss the ics.” The official said it was balloon’s incursion into U.S. Homeland Defense, and
the balloon was used for balloon issue on Saturday, “very early for us to assess airspace.” Lt. Gen. Doug Sims, director
spying, including a claim the Pentagon said. Secre- what the intent was and The official said the U.S. has of operations for the Joint
Thursday that U.S. accu- tary of State Antony Blinken how the device was oper- confidence that the man- Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S.
sations about the balloon canceled a planned week- ating.” ufacturer of the balloon wanted to avoid any inju-
amount to “information end trip to Beijing.The U.S. According to two U.S. of- shot down on Saturday has ries or deaths from the de-
warfare.” flatly contradicted China’s ficials, the balloon recov- “a direct relationship with bris field if the balloon was
On Capitol Hill, the House version of events, saying ery efforts were temporar- China’s military and is an shot down over Alaska.
voted unanimously to con- that imagery of the balloon ily suspended on Thursday approved vendor of the” And they added that
demn China for a “brazen collected by American U-2 due to high seas. They army. The official cited in- shooting it down over the
violation” of U.S. sovereign- spy planes as it crossed the said some balloon debris formation from an official frigid, icy waters in that re-
ty and efforts to “deceive country showed that it was was intact on the ocean PLA procurement portal as gion would have made it
the international commu- “capable of conducting floor and divers had recov- evidence for the connec- more difficult and danger-
nity through false claims signals intelligence collec- ered potentially high-value tion between the compa- ous to recover the pieces
about its intelligence col- tion” with multiple anten- equipment over the past ny and the military. for more analysis.
lection campaigns.” Re- nas and other equipment day and a half. The release of new infor- “We thought before we
publicans have criticized designed to upload sensi- Much of the debris is con- mation appeared part of shot,” said Sims.This is not
President Joe Biden for not tive information and solar centrated in two separate a coordinated administra- the first time the U.S. gov-
acting sooner to down the panels to power them. sections of an area that’s tion response, with multiple ernment has publicly called
balloon, but both parties’ Jedidiah Royal, the U.S. as- 15 football fields long and officials appearing before out alleged activities of the
lawmakers came together sistant defense secretary 15 football fields across, congressional committees People’s Liberation Army.
on the vote, 419-0. for the Indo-Pacific, told according to the officials to face questions about In a first-of-its-kind prosecu-
In Beijing, before the U.S. a Senate Appropriations who spoke on condition of the balloon. tion in 2014, the Obama
offered its new informa- subcommittee that the mili- anonymity because of the Testifying before the Sen- administration Justice De-
tion, Chinese Foreign Min- tary has “some very good sensitivity of the collection ate Foreign Relations Com- partment indicted five
istry spokesperson Mao guesses” about what intel- process. mittee, Deputy Secretary of accused PLA hackers of
Ning repeated her na- ligence China was seeking. The State Department of- State Wendy Sherman said breaking into the comput-
tion’s insistence that the More information was ex- ficial, providing details to officials had taken “all nec- er networks of major Ameri-
large unmanned balloon pected to be provided in a reporters by email, also essary steps to protect sen- can corporations in an ef-
was a civilian meteorologi- classified setting. on condition of anonym- sitive information” and had fort to steal trade secrets.q