U.S. not confirming reports Chinese spy balloon sent real-time data to Beijing – National | 24CA News
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration mentioned on Monday it couldn’t affirm studies that China was capable of acquire real-time information from a spy balloon because it flew over delicate navy websites earlier this 12 months, saying evaluation was nonetheless ongoing.
NBC News on Monday reported that the Chinese balloon was capable of transmit information again to Beijing in actual time regardless of the U.S. authorities’s efforts to stop it from doing so — a disclosure that might deepen Republican criticism of Biden for ready for the balloon to achieve a secure location earlier than taking pictures it down.
NBC cited two present senior U.S. officers and one former senior administration official.
The White House and the Pentagon advised reporters that they may not affirm that account. The Pentagon mentioned specialists have been nonetheless analyzing particles collected from the balloon after it was shot down on Feb. 4.
“I could not confirm that there was real-time transmission from the balloon back to (China) at this time,” mentioned Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, including, “that’s something we’re analyzing right now.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing and the Chinese Embassy in Washington didn’t instantly reply to Reuters’ request for remark.
The balloon, which Beijing denies was a authorities spy vessel, spent per week flying over the United States and Canada earlier than the U.S. navy shot it down off the Atlantic Coast on Biden’s orders.
Canadian officers haven’t disclosed whether or not the balloon might have gathered any information from navy bases close to its flight path over western provinces. Defence Minister Anita Anand and senior navy leaders have mentioned U.S. companies together with the FBI and CIA are main the investigation into what, if any, info was collected.
A map demonstrating an approximation of the Chinese spy balloon’s path over Canada primarily based on the outline given by defence officers.
Global News
Reuters has reported that the U.S. officers consider the high-altitude balloon was managed by Beijing and was capable of maneuver because it flew over the United States, at instances steering left or proper.
Still, on the time, U.S. officers performed down the balloon’s influence on nationwide safety, saying it took measures to restrict its capability to gather info on delicate U.S. websites. It additionally performed down the concept the balloon was way more able to gathering info than Chinese spy satellites, whereas acknowledging the balloon’s capability to loiter longer over U.S. areas than a satellite tv for pc.
The Chinese balloon incident prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a deliberate go to to Beijing and additional strained relations between Washington and Beijing.
The episode induced an uproar in Washington and led the U.S. navy to look the skies for different objects that weren’t being captured on radar.
The FBI has taken the lead in evaluation for the reason that United States mentioned on Feb. 17 it had efficiently concluded restoration efforts off South Carolina to gather sensors and different particles from the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon.
—With extra information from Global News
