US claims that a Chinese balloon also spied on India and other Countries

Washington (IANS) US believes that the suspected Chinese surveillance balloons that shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4, was part of Chinese effort to spy on military assets in other countries, including India.

Meanwhile, an Indian official attended a briefing on Monday for representatives from 40 embassies conducted by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

Firstly these developments were reported by The Washington Post citing unidentified US officials. Further they said that these balloons had been sighted over five continents.

According to The Post, US officials think that the surveillance balloon operation, which has been running for several years off the south coast of China, has been partially based in the province of Hainan, “has gathered information on military assets in countries and areas of emerging strategic interest to China, including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines.”

Regarding the spying on Indian military assets, there is no additional information available.

“What the Chinese have done is basically marry an extremely old technology with modern communications and observation capabilities,” an official told news agencies.

On February 4, an American F-22 fighter jet shot down the suspected spy balloons over the Atlantic Ocean.

On February 2, US defense officials announced that they were tracking the “strange object” and would shoot it down once it was safely over water.

As per the officials it is described as violation of American sovereignty and internal laws.

The development came at a time when the two countries were working to restore their relationship, building on the first in-person meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jingping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also canceled a trip to Beijing for broad talks, including a meeting with President Xi, even after China expressed regret in a rare show of contrition said the “airship” was meant to study weather and had strayed into American airspace.

China, too, expressed regret about the incident.