Chinese spy balloon did not gather data over US, says Pentagon
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The balloon was shot down in February, and the US military has been studying its contents since.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - The Chinese spy balloon shot down by a US fighter jet
“It’s been our assessment now that it did not collect while it was transiting the United States or overflying the United States,” said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder, adding that the US “took steps to mitigate” intelligence collection by the balloon.
“Certainly, the efforts we made contributed” to that, he said, without further explanation.
The huge balloon with a large payload of electronics flew over the US from Alaska in the north-west to South Carolina in the east from late January to early February this year, crossing above sensitive military installations
It was shot down on Feb 4 just off the South Carolina coast, and was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean by the US military, which is still studying its contents.
The incident sparked fresh strains in relations between Beijing and Washington, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelling a long-planned trip to China in February
China had denied that the balloon was to collect intelligence, and said it had strayed off course in entering US airspace.
At the time, a US official said the balloon had multiple antennas, including an array likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications.
“It was equipped with solar panels large enough to produce the requisite power to operate multiple active intelligence collection sensors,” the official said.
Earlier in June, just ahead of Mr Blinken’s rescheduled trip to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House played down the whole balloon incident.
“I don’t think the (Chinese) leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on,” said President Joe Biden.
He added: “I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional.” AFP
