Page 5 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - September 2023
P. 5
China’s Vast Aerial Surveillance Program 5
Chinese Balloon Part Of
Vast Aerial Surveillance
Program, U.S. Says
Spy balloon effort operates in
Hainan province off China’s
south coast and has for years
collected information on military
assets in several countries,
officials said
The surveillance balloon effort, which
has operated for several years partly out
of Hainan province off China’s south
coast, has collected information on
military assets in countries and areas of
emerging strategic interest to China
including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan
and the Philippines, according to several
Republic of China. official.
U.S. officials, who, like others
The official flatly rejected China’s
interviewed for this story, spoke on the
In Japan in 2020, an aerial orb drew assertion that the airship moving over the
condition of anonymity because of the
speculation. “Some people thought this United States was a weather balloon
matter’s sensitivity.
was a UFO,” said a Japanese official. “In blown off course. “This is false,” the
hindsight people are realizing that was a official said. “This was a PRC
Officials have said these surveillance
Chinese espionage balloon. But at that surveillance balloon. This surveillance
airships, operated in part by the PLA air
time it was purely novel — nobody had balloon purposefully traversed the United
force, have been spotted over five
seen this. … So there’s a lot of States and Canada. And we are confident
continents.
heightened attention at this time.” it was seeking to monitor sensitive
military sites.”
“What the Chinese have done is taken an
While most of China’s long-range
unbelievably old technology, and
surveillance efforts are conducted by its Some commentators have made light of
basically married it with modern
expanding military satellite array, PLA the Chinese effort, noting that balloons
communications and observation
planners have identified what they are not the most high-tech of platforms.
capabilities” to try to glean intelligence
consider to be an opportunity to conduct But others caution against dismissing the
on other nations’ militaries, said one
surveillance from the upper atmosphere balloons’ potential.
official. “It’s a massive effort.”
at altitudes above where commercial jets
fly, using balloons that fly between “For those who have a sanguine view
On Monday, Deputy Secretary of State
60,000 and 80,000 feet or higher, about the actual intelligence collection
Wendy Sherman led a briefing on China’s
officials said. capabilities of this balloon, I think
balloon espionage for some 150 people
they’re underestimating the creative ways
from about 40 embassies, said a senior
Analysts still don’t know the size of the the PLA might use it either for
administration official familiar with the
balloon fleet, but there have been intelligence and surveillance purposes, or
matter. The department has also sent to
“dozens” of missions since 2018, said as a platform for weapons,” said Rep.
every U.S. Embassy “detailed
one U.S. official. They take advantage of Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of
information” on the espionage that can be
technology provided by a private Chinese the Select Committee on China, who was
shared with allies and partners.
company that is part of the country’s commenting on public remarks made by
civil-military fusion effort — a program Pentagon officials over the weekend.
Separately, U.S. officials have begun to
by which private companies develop
share specifics with officials in countries
technologies and capabilities used by the In recent years, at least four balloons
such as Japan whose military facilities
PLA. have been spotted over Hawaii, Florida,
were targeted by Beijing.
Texas and Guam — in addition to the one
In a news briefing Saturday, senior tracked last week.
“There has been great interest in this on
Pentagon officials alluded to the PLA (Continued on Page 6)
the part of our allies and partners,” said a
program, noting that balloons had been
senior administration official. THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO/TV SHOW
operating elsewhere in the Western
with
Hemisphere. “These balloons are all part
“Many of them recognize that they, too, ROB McCONNELL
of a PRC fleet of balloons developed to
may be vulnerable or susceptible to this can be heard at www.XZBN.net
conduct surveillance operations, which
or an object of interest to the PRC,” the and seen on
also violated the sovereignty of other
official said, referring to the People’s www.SimulTV.com - CH32
countries,” said one senior defense