WASHINGTON: US to explore action against Chinese military-linked entities that supported escape of Chinese man spy balloon in US airspace last week, an elderly State Department officer said on Thursday.
Washington is confident that the maker of the Chinese balloon, which was shot down by the US military last weekend off the US east coast, has a “direct relationship” with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the US official said. department in a note.
The FBI, which is leading efforts to analyze the recovered remains of the balloon, told reporters in a briefing it had obtained only limited physical evidence and did not yet have enough information to assess its capabilities.
“It is very early for us in this process and the evidence that has been recovered and taken to the FBI is extremely limited,” an office official said.
FBI officials said they still do not have access to most of the balloon’s “payload,” where most of the onboard electronics were likely carried, and that much of it remains underwater.
Separately on Thursday, speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Shermann he highlighted the flight of the Chinese balloon as another sign of Beijing’s efforts to reshape the international order.
“This irresponsible act put on full display what we have long recognized: that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) has become more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad,” Sherman said at the hearing.
Sherman said Washington would continue to prevent China from using US technology to advance its military modernization.
“The PRC is the only competitor with the intent and means to reshape the international order,” Sherman said, adding that the balloon’s violation of US sovereignty and international law was “the latest example of that reality”.
However, Sherman said he hoped Washington and Beijing could continue to work together on issues of common interest such as climate change “in this difficult time.”
political outrage
The spectacle of China’s balloon flying over the United States last week caused political outrage in Washington and sharpened China’s challenge to the United States and its allies.
He pushed Secretary of State Antony Blink canceling a trip to Beijing that both countries had hoped would mend frayed relations. Blinken would arrive in Beijing on Sunday.
Instead, Thursday’s series of briefings and hearings highlighted the political pressure President Joe Biden’s administration is left with to address the incident.
US lawmakers Democrats and Republicans sharply criticized the US military and the Biden administration for not shooting down the balloon when it first entered US airspace, and instead waited a week to do so. The House of Representatives voted 419-0 for a resolution condemning China for the balloon raid.
US lawmakers have asked the Biden administration for more information on the incident.
“I hate to disappoint you. We learned no more than everyone has always known,” said Senator Bob Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, after emerging from a confidential briefing by administration officials on the ball on Thursday.
The US Air Force shot down the balloon off South Carolina on Saturday, a week after it entered US airspace. China’s foreign ministry said it was a weather balloon that had flown off course and accused the United States of overreacting.
On Monday, the United States briefed 150 foreign diplomats in Washington and sent information to its missions around the world to share details about the balloon crash.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning on Thursday rejected US allegations that the balloon was part of a global spy fleet, saying the allegation could be part of a “US information war against China “.
MANUFACTURER LINKED TO PLA
In the statement released by the State Department, the senior official said the balloon maker has a direct relationship with the Chinese military and is an authorized supplier to the People’s Liberation Army. The statement did not specify what sort of actions Washington was considering.
The company also advertises balloon products on its website and hosts videos of past flights, which appear to have flown over US airspace and the airspace of other countries, the official said, without naming the business.
The official said the United States collected high-resolution images of the balloon from flybys of U-2 aircraft that revealed it was capable of conducting signals intelligence gathering operations.
China has conducted similar surveillance flights over more than 40 countries on five continents, the official said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said after a briefing that the activity had been going on “over the course of several years”.
Washington is confident that the maker of the Chinese balloon, which was shot down by the US military last weekend off the US east coast, has a “direct relationship” with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the US official said. department in a note.
The FBI, which is leading efforts to analyze the recovered remains of the balloon, told reporters in a briefing it had obtained only limited physical evidence and did not yet have enough information to assess its capabilities.
“It is very early for us in this process and the evidence that has been recovered and taken to the FBI is extremely limited,” an office official said.
FBI officials said they still do not have access to most of the balloon’s “payload,” where most of the onboard electronics were likely carried, and that much of it remains underwater.
Separately on Thursday, speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Shermann he highlighted the flight of the Chinese balloon as another sign of Beijing’s efforts to reshape the international order.
“This irresponsible act put on full display what we have long recognized: that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) has become more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad,” Sherman said at the hearing.
Sherman said Washington would continue to prevent China from using US technology to advance its military modernization.
“The PRC is the only competitor with the intent and means to reshape the international order,” Sherman said, adding that the balloon’s violation of US sovereignty and international law was “the latest example of that reality”.
However, Sherman said he hoped Washington and Beijing could continue to work together on issues of common interest such as climate change “in this difficult time.”
political outrage
The spectacle of China’s balloon flying over the United States last week caused political outrage in Washington and sharpened China’s challenge to the United States and its allies.
He pushed Secretary of State Antony Blink canceling a trip to Beijing that both countries had hoped would mend frayed relations. Blinken would arrive in Beijing on Sunday.
Instead, Thursday’s series of briefings and hearings highlighted the political pressure President Joe Biden’s administration is left with to address the incident.
US lawmakers Democrats and Republicans sharply criticized the US military and the Biden administration for not shooting down the balloon when it first entered US airspace, and instead waited a week to do so. The House of Representatives voted 419-0 for a resolution condemning China for the balloon raid.
US lawmakers have asked the Biden administration for more information on the incident.
“I hate to disappoint you. We learned no more than everyone has always known,” said Senator Bob Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, after emerging from a confidential briefing by administration officials on the ball on Thursday.
The US Air Force shot down the balloon off South Carolina on Saturday, a week after it entered US airspace. China’s foreign ministry said it was a weather balloon that had flown off course and accused the United States of overreacting.
On Monday, the United States briefed 150 foreign diplomats in Washington and sent information to its missions around the world to share details about the balloon crash.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning on Thursday rejected US allegations that the balloon was part of a global spy fleet, saying the allegation could be part of a “US information war against China “.
MANUFACTURER LINKED TO PLA
In the statement released by the State Department, the senior official said the balloon maker has a direct relationship with the Chinese military and is an authorized supplier to the People’s Liberation Army. The statement did not specify what sort of actions Washington was considering.
The company also advertises balloon products on its website and hosts videos of past flights, which appear to have flown over US airspace and the airspace of other countries, the official said, without naming the business.
The official said the United States collected high-resolution images of the balloon from flybys of U-2 aircraft that revealed it was capable of conducting signals intelligence gathering operations.
China has conducted similar surveillance flights over more than 40 countries on five continents, the official said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said after a briefing that the activity had been going on “over the course of several years”.
