Page 1 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2023
P. 1
THE
‘X’ CHRONICLES NEWSPAPER
Where Fact Is Fiction and Fiction Is Reality - Publishing Since 1990
Vol. 34, No. 02 ISSN 1499-8599 A REL-MAR McConnell Media Company Publication - Digital Version February 2023
US Says China Balloon U.S. last weekend over the Atlantic intelligence collection campaigns.”
Ocean. The public details outlining the Republicans have criticized Biden for not
Could Collect Intelligence
program’s scope and capabilities were acting sooner to down the balloon, but
Signals meant to refute China’s persistent denials both parties’ lawmakers came together on
that the balloon was used for spying, the vote, 419-0.
including a claim Thursday that U.S.
February 09, 2023 - WASHINGTON - accusations about the balloon amount to In Beijing, before the U.S. offered its new
The China balloon shot down by the U.S. “information warfare.” information, Chinese Foreign Ministry
was equipped to detect and collect spokesperson Mao Ning repeated her
intelligence signals as part of a huge, President Joe Biden defended the U.S. nation’s insistence that the large
action. unmanned balloon was a civilian
military-linked aerial surveillance
program that targeted more than 40 meteorological airship that had blown off
countries, the Biden administration And, asked in an interview with Spanish course and that the U.S. had
declared Thursday, citing imagery from language Telemundo Noticias whether “overreacted” by shooting it down.
American U-2 spy planes. the balloon episode represented a major
security breach, he said no. “It is irresponsible,” Mao said. The latest
A fleet of balloons operates under the accusations, she said, “may be part of the
direction of the People’s Liberation Army “Look, the total amount of intelligence U.S. side’s information warfare against
and is used specifically for spying, gathering that’s going on by every China.”
outfitted with high-tech equipment country around the world is
overwhelming,” he said. “Anyway, it’s Underscoring the tensions, China’s
designed to gather sensitive information
from targets across the globe, the U.S. not a major breach. I mean, look ... it’s a defense minister refused to take a phone
said. Similar balloons have sailed over violation of international law. It’s our call from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
five continents, according to the airspace. And once it comes into our to discuss the balloon issue on Saturday,
administration. space, we can do what we want with it.” the Pentagon said. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken canceled a planned
A statement from a senior State On Capitol Hill, the House voted weekend trip to Beijing.
Department official offered the most unanimously to condemn China for a
detail to date linking China’s military to “brazen violation” of U.S. sovereignty
the balloon that was shot down by the and efforts to “deceive the international (Continued on Page 55)
community through false claims about its
