US links Chinese 'spy balloon' to surveillance program run by PLA
Washington (US), February 11: The US intelligence community has linked the Chinese spy balloon to a vast surveillance program run by the People's Liberation Army, and US officials have begun to brief allies and partners who have been similarly targeted, according to The Washington Post.
According to The Washington Post, the surveillance balloon effort, which has operated for several years in part from Hainan province off China's south coast, has collected information on military assets in countries and areas of emerging strategic interest to China, such as Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines. The surveillance airships, which are operated in part by the PLA air force, have been spotted over five continents, according to officials.
According to a government official: "What the Chinese have done is taken an unbelievably old technology, and basically married it with modern communications and observation capabilities to try to glean intelligence on other nations' militaries. It's a massive effort."
As per the New York Times, as part of its response to a Chinese spy balloon that flew over US airspace last week, the Joe Biden administration restricted sales of some of its technology to several Chinese aviation and technology companies on Friday (local time).
The Commerce Department added five Chinese companies and one research institute to its so-called entity list, which prohibits companies from selling American parts and technologies to them without a special licence.
According to Alan Estevez, the undersecretary of commerce for industry and security, the action is a direct response to the Chinese government's use of high-altitude balloons for surveillance, as reported by the New York Times.
"Today's action makes clear that entities that seek to harm US national security and sovereignty will be cut off from accessing US technologies," he added.
- ANI
