Spy Balloon Part of Larger Chinese Military Surveillance Program
AllSides Summary
New intelligence suggests that the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the continental United States last week was part of a larger global surveillance program conducted by the Chinese Military.
Key Quotes: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that “the United States was not the only target of this broader program, which has violated the sovereignty of countries across five continents.” The Washington Post quoted an anonymous official stating, “what the Chinese have done is taken an unbelievably old technology, and basically married it with modern communications and observation capabilities.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “we just have to be vigilant,” adding “we need to be aware of the constant risk of Chinese intelligence and then step up what we do to protect ourselves.”
Details: The Washington Post first broke the story connecting the balloon to a wider surveillance effort, stating that the program “has operated for several years partly out of Hainan province off China’s south coast” and has collected information on numerous countries pertaining to China’s strategic interests, including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines. Four similar balloons have flown over U.S. states or territories in recent years, but have only recently been linked to China.
How The Media Covered It: The new intelligence was covered in tandem with the widespread reflection and speculation across the spectrum on what the incident indicates about United States and Chinese relations moving forward.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
U.S. sites of interest visited by past Chinese balloons, Pentagon says
Four previous Chinese spy balloon flights over the United States passed over sites that would be of interest to Beijing, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, without elaborating on whether they passed over military bases.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was gaining more information "almost by the hour" on the Chinese spy balloon shot down off the U.S. East Coast on Saturday. He said the United States will share relevant findings with Congress and allies around the world.
The head of NATO told a joint news conference with...
From the Left
Chinese balloon part of vast aerial surveillance program, U.S. says
The U.S. intelligence community has linked the Chinese spy balloon shot down on Saturday to a vast surveillance program run by the People’s Liberation Army, and U.S. officials have begun to brief allies and partners who have been similarly targeted.
The surveillance balloon effort, which has operated for several years partly out of Hainan province off China’s south coast, has collected information on military assets in countries and areas of emerging strategic interest to China including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines, according to several U.S. officials, who, like...
From the Right
Chinese spy balloons spotted over five continents a part of wider surveillance program, officials say
Multiple spy balloons from China have reportedly been found over various countries, as officials reveal more information about the balloon that was spotted over the United States last week.
Officials say that the Chinese balloons, which have been spotted flying over five continents, are part of a larger surveillance program from the communist nation, per a report from the Washington Post. India, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan are some of the countries that the surveillance program has gathered intelligence on.
The wide-ranging surveillance program run by the People's Liberation...
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