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Blinken says US has 'no doubt' China was policing with a balloon

2023-02-20T09:43:36.188Z


Secretary of State Antony Blinken made it clear that the United States has no doubt that China intended to monitor the United States via the balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina in early February.


See how the alleged Chinese spy balloon looks up close 0:50

Washington (CNN)

-- Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made it clear that the United States has no doubt that China intended to monitor the United States via the balloon that was finally shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this year. month.

"I can't say dispositively what the original intent was, but that doesn't matter because what we saw when it was over the United States was clearly an attempt to surveil very sensitive military locations," Blinken said on ABC's "This Week." an interview recorded on Saturday.

"The balloon flew over many of them. In some cases, it hovered," he added.

"We took steps to protect that information. We took steps to get information about the balloon. And I think we'll know more when... we actually get the wreckage."

Following the downing of the suspected Chinese spy balloon, the US military shot down three much smaller subsequent objects now believed not to be linked to any country's surveillance program, President Joe Biden said last week.

Instead, they were likely used for meteorological or research purposes by private entities.

  • The initial report on the Chinese balloon was not sent as urgent in the US, why?

US authorities have claimed that the Chinese balloon, by contrast, had a payload - or the equipment it carried - the size of about three buses and was capable of picking up intelligence signals and taking pictures.

The balloon flew over sensitive areas of Montana, according to authorities, but the administration has said it followed the path of the balloon and worked to minimize its intelligence-gathering capabilities.

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The US has claimed that the balloon was part of a large fleet controlled by the Chinese military that has conducted surveillance over at least 40 countries on five continents in recent years.

"We are in no doubt what the balloon, once hovering over the United States, was intended to do. And we are in no doubt about China's surveillance balloon program, which has been used in more than 40 countries around the world. "Blinken told ABC.

On the subject of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the top US diplomat said on Sunday that he is concerned about China's support for the Russian military, specifically that Beijing is considering providing Moscow with "lethal support".

  • ANALYSIS |

    Why the Chinese balloon crisis could be a watershed moment in the new Cold War

CNN previously reported that the United States has recently begun to see "worrying" trends in China's support for the Russian military, and there are signs that Beijing wants to "sneak up to the line" of providing lethal military aid to Russia without getting caught. according to US officials familiar with the information.

The officials declined to describe in detail what intelligence the US has seen that suggests a recent change in China's stance, but said US officials have been concerned enough to share the intelligence with allies. and partners at the Munich Security Conference in Germany in recent days.

"We've been watching it very closely," Blinken told CBS's "Face the Nation" while in Munich.

"The concern that we have now is based on the information that we have that they are considering providing lethal support, and we have made it very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and our relationship," Blinken said.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.

Chinese balloons

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2023-02-20

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