US briefs diplomats from 40 nations on Chinese spy balloon incident

Washington/Beijing: The United States has briefed diplomats from nearly 40 countries about the Chinese spy balloon that entered US airspace in late January, a senior administrative official said on Tuesday. The briefings were held both in Washington and Beijing. Soon after the balloon was shot down, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke to nearly 150 foreign diplomats across 40 embassies, while in Beijing the US embassy gathered foreign diplomats to present US findings about the balloon, which was suspected to be an espionage tool launched by China. “We want to make sure that we are sharing as much as we can with countries around the world who may also be susceptible to these types of operations,” the senior administrative official said. Sherman’s briefing was first reported by the Washington Post, which also quoted US officials saying the spy balloon was linked to an extensive military surveillance effort centred on China’s Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The size of the Chinese balloon fleet is still uncertain, but US officials spoke of dozens of missions since 2018 across five continents, with some targeting Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines. Chinese military analysts have recently argued in state-run newspapers that balloons and airships should be further developed and deployed across a range of missions, news agency Reuters reported on Monday. The appearance of the Chinese spy balloon over the United States last week caused political turmoil in Washington and prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing that both countries had pitched as one that would mend strained relations. Blinken was scheduled to visit Beijing last Sunday to meet top Chinese leaders. A US Air Force fighter jet shot down the balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday, a week after it initially entered the US airspace. Cornered, China had said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course into US airspace and was an “unexpected, isolated incident”. It condemned the shoot-down and accused the United States of over-reacting. SPY AIRSHIP The State Department also sent US missions around the world information about the balloon incident to share with allies and partners, the senior administration official added. In the briefings held in Beijing, the United States presented information to demonstrate that the balloon was not a weather research balloon as China had suggested, but an airship that was used for espionage, diplomats who attended the discussions said. Washington said the balloon was controlled by China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army. Diplomats in Beijing said they were told by the US embassy that the solar panels on the balloon meant that it needed more power than a weather balloon, and that its flight path did not conform with natural wind patterns. US. officials have said the balloon was equipped with rudders and propellers. Asked if Taiwan had been briefed by the United States, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that “we have always maintained close contact with the United States and continue to exchange views on interactions between the United States and China.” According to information released by the Pentagon, the balloons were part of a Chinese aerial fleet that had also violated the sovereignty of other countries. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.