Officials Say Chinese Spy Balloon Had Technology Intended for Intercepting Communications

(RepublicanDaily.org) – Political analysts say that the discovery of a Chinese spy balloon floating over U.S. airspace in January has dashed hopes that the U.S.-China tensions may be easing up. China responded to the action stating that U.S. response would only thwart trust, and “could not make America safer,” wrote a Chinese-state linked publication Global Times.

The balloon, which was the size of three metro buses, was “capable of intercepting U.S. communications”, said a State Department official who was quoted by Bloomberg.

The Chinese balloon contained technology intended for intercepting communications, CNN reported. The balloon was seeking “secret” U.S. communications. The balloon reportedly carried many antennas that were intended to be used for intercepting communications.

The Chinese Communist regime leadership stated that the United States “had overreacted” in shooting the craft down, CNN reported.

Chinese spy balloons have flown over more than 40 countries globally, The New York Times reported.

The political debate centered around Biden’s response to the balloon. Although Biden said in his State of the Union address that America had responded with strength, political critics said that he “waited too long” to react, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Chinese balloon floated over the entire United States before it was shot down by an F22 fighter jet in the Atlantic. The balloon was shot down on February 5, and a recovery process began on February 6.

The debris that was recovered is being sent to an FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, CNN reported.

The Navy showed a close-up recovered of the balloon’s remains. General Glen VanHerck, the commander of the U.S. northern command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, stated that the balloon was approximately 200 feet tall and contained a payload weighing “a couple of thousand pounds,” CNN reported.

VanHerck explained that the safety concerns for civilians on the ground were due to the weight of the balloon. Objects such as the solar panels that were on the craft were expected to be potentially hazardous materials that commanders were concerned would pose a health risk to people on the ground, CNN reported.