Chinese balloon was ‘clearly’ for spying, says anonymous US official

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The Chinese balloon that flew over North America for more than a week before being shot down over the Atlantic was carrying equipment capable of intercepting and geolocating communications, the US government has claimed.

A senior state department official said on Thursday that equipment was identified by a U2 spy plane sent up to scrutinise the balloon.

“The high-altitude balloon’s equipment was clearly for intelligence surveillance and inconsistent with the equipment onboard weather balloons,” the official said. “It had multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geolocating communications.

“It was equipped with solar panels large enough to produce the requisite power to operate multiple active intelligence collection sensors.”

China has used such balloons to collect intelligence over 40 countries on five continents, the US claims.

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The administration is contemplating sanctions against those involved, potentially including the balloon’s manufacturer, which, according to the state department, is an “approved vendor” to China’s People’s Liberation Army.

“We will also look at broader efforts to expose and address the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China’s] larger surveillance activities that pose a threat to our national security, and to our allies and partners,” the department said.

The US military does not have the authority to collect intelligence within the US, so a special dispensation was granted for the U2 plane to conduct the counter-surveillance operation.