Although the US Air Force already shot down the Chinese high-altitude balloon that flew over much of the US last week, the Biden administration is reportedly. 09.02.2023, Sputnik International
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, an unnamed senior US State Department official said the US “will also look at broader efforts to expose and address [China’s] larger surveillance activities that pose a threat to our national security, and to our allies and partners.”According to the official, the balloon was just one part of a larger, globe-spanning intelligence program that the Pentagon says has covered 40 nations on five continents. The program is allegedly run out of the southern Chinese island of Hainan, and according to the official, is made by a company with close ties to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). No reports have named the company in question.“The company also advertises balloon products on its website and hosts videos from past flights, which appear to have overflown at least US airspace and airspace of other countries,” the State Department official said.
