WASHINGTON – The suspected Chinese spy balloon that passed over the United States early in 2023 used American technology that helped it collect audiovisual information, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Wednesday, citing preliminary findings from a closely held investigation.
Analysis from several US defence and intelligence agencies found that the balloon carried commercially available US gear, along with more specialised Chinese sensors and other equipment to collect photographs, video and other information to transmit to China, the WSJ said, citing US officials.
The findings support a conclusion that the craft was intended for spying, and not for weather monitoring as China had claimed, the report said.
But the balloon did not seem to send data from its eight-day passage over Alaska, Canada and some other contiguous US states back to China, WSJ said.
That conflicts with a previous report by NBC News that China was able to transmit the information it collected in real time. The intelligence collected was mostly from electronic signals rather than images, the network added, citing three unidentified current and former senior US officials.
The WSJ said US investigators traced purchase orders for some of the equipment carried on the balloon and the purchasers’ relationship to the Chinese government, the officials said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning avoided a question about the latest report at a regular press briefing on Thursday in Beijing.
She repeated her government’s assertion that the balloon was for civilian purposes and accidentally drifted over the US.
“Calling it a spy balloon is sheer smear against China by the US,” she said.
The WSJ report came shortly after a trip by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing.
He was the most senior American official to visit China in five years, as the two countries try to mend diplomatic relations.
Mr Blinken’s visit had originally been planned for February, but was postponed after the Chinese balloon was spotted over the US, sparking a diplomatic crisis.
Both sides hailed Mr Blinken’s trip as a success and more officials are expected to travel to each other’s countries in the coming months, including Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
The Blinken visit also set the stage for a possible meeting between President Joe Biden and the Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in India in September, and perhaps for a visit by Chinese leader to the US for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
