By Matthew Lee and Eric Tucker —
The Associated Press
The Chinese balloon that traversed US territory and was eventually shot down by the Pentagon last week was equipped to pick up intelligence signals and was part of a massive aerial espionage program linked to the Chinese military that was targeting more than 40 countries, as reported this Thursday by the Government of Joe Biden, describing for the first time the scope and capabilities of the huge airship.
This fleet of balloons operates under the direction of the People's Liberation Army and is used specifically for espionage, according to a senior State Department official.
They are equipped with high-tech equipment designed to collect sensitive information from targets around the world, he added.
Similar balloons have flown over all five continents, according to the Administration.
This statement on the balloon downed off the Atlantic Ocean seeks to refute China's persistent denials that the balloon was used for spying, including Thursday's claim that the allegations are "information warfare."
In China, and before the United States offered these data, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, insisted that the unmanned balloon was a civilian weather aircraft that strayed from its route and that the United States "exaggerated" by shoot him down
"It is irresponsible," Mao said.
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The Chinese Defense Ministry on Saturday refused to take a phone call from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the matter, according to the Pentagon.
China has not responded to questions about which government department or company the balloon belonged to, or how it planned to follow up on a promise to take further action on the matter.
The United States offered a description completely at odds with China's of the globe and its purpose.
It claimed that images collected by U-2 military jets as it crossed the country showed it was “capable of conducting intelligence signal collection” with multiple antennas and other equipment designed to carry sensitive information and solar panels to power them.
Jedidiah Royal, assistant secretary of defense for the Indo-Pacific, told a Senate subcommittee that the Pentagon has "some very good guesses" about what information China was seeking, which will be discussed in Congress in a classified manner.
The State Department official who provided details to reporters by email did so on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, which led to the cancellation of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China last week.
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The official said the analysis of the wreckage recovered from the ocean is "inconsistent" with China's explanation that it was a weather blimp that veered off course.
The United States is contacting countries that have also been targeted, the official said, to discuss the extent of the Chinese surveillance program, and is looking into possible actions that "supported the balloon's incursion into US airspace." ”
He added that the United States believes the manufacturer of the balloon shot down on Saturday has "a direct relationship with the Chinese Army and is an approved supplier" to the Army. He cited information from an official People's Liberation Army procurement website as proof of the connection. between business and the military.
The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a resolution blaming China for a "blatant violation of US sovereignty" and accusing it of trying to
"mislead the international community through false claims about its intelligence-gathering campaigns." ”
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The resolution won both Democratic and Republican support, reflecting growing bipartisan anger in Washington over what lawmakers see as Chinese aggression.
It is not the first time that the Government has denounced the activities of the Popular Liberation Army (EPL).
In 2014, Barack Obama's Justice Department charged five PLA hackers with breaking into the computer networks of large corporations across the country to steal trade secrets.
And in 2020 they were accused of stealing the personal data of tens of millions of Americans in a leak from the Equifax credit bureau.