Chinese Balloon Part of PLA-Run Espionage Programme, Also Spied on India: Report

The giant Chinese balloon was shot down and had allegedly been "spying" on key military locations across the US.

The United States on 4 February shot down the giant Chinese balloon that had allegedly been "spying" on key military locations across the country. 

(Photo: PTI)

The Chinese balloon which was shot down by the United States on 4 February was part of a global surveillance effort by China that also targeted Indian military installations, media reports citing American officials have said.  

According to The Washington Post, US officials have begun to brief allies and partners who have been similarly targeted, including India.  

The vast surveillance programme run by the People’s Liberation Army has collected information on military assets in several countries including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines, according to US officials cited by the newspaper.  

The surveillance balloon effort has been operated in part by the PLA air force for several years partly out of Hainan province off China’s south coast, the report said. Officials claimed these surveillance airships have been spotted over five continents. 

“These balloons are all part of a PRC (People's Republic of China) fleet of balloons developed to conduct surveillance operations, which also violated the sovereignty of other countries,” a senior defence official was quoted as saying. 

“What the Chinese have done is taken an unbelievably old technology, and basically married it with modern communications and observation capabilities,” another official said, adding, “It’s a massive effort.” 

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Monday held a session to brief 150 people from about 40 embassies on China’s balloon surveillance programme, The Washington Post reported.  

The State Department has also sent to every US Embassy “detailed information” on the espionage that can be shared with allies and partners, the report added.  

“There has been great interest in this on the part of our allies and partners,” a senior official said. 

The New York Times said that the new State Department campaign to share details of China’s spy balloon programme with other countries is aimed at making allies and partners aware of the extent of Chinese aerial espionage efforts so that they can push back on Beijing’s efforts.  

Chinese Balloon Spied Over Andaman 

The Financial Times reported that “in January 2022 one of the white orbs was spotted over India.” While the FT did not mention the area where it was spotted, a local media report in Andaman said a surveillance balloon was cited over islands in Bay of Bengal, which have critical military installations.  

The Andaman Sheekha reported that a white sphere-shaped object was spotted hovering over Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 6 January 2022. 

Reporting from Port Blair on 5 February, the local publication said that the object was “a 100 percent similar” to the balloon shot down by the US and was seen for more than two days by hundreds of residents. 

US Shoots Down Chinese 'Spy' Balloon 

The United States on 4 February shot down the giant Chinese balloon that had allegedly been "spying" on key military locations across the country. 

The Department of Defense said that an F-22 fighter jet shot down the balloon, that had been hovering over the US for the last few days. The balloon was targeted when it was off the coast of South Carolina.  

Claiming that the balloon was meant to collect weather information, the Chinese government said the US was "clearly overreacting."