The United States is in contact with allies regarding China’s spy balloon fleet, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre confirmed Wednesday.
“All these balloons are part of [Ķīnas] fleets of balloons that are designed to conduct surveillance operations,” Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“For several years, Chinese balloons have been spotted in many places over countries on five continents,” she said. “We have contacted allies and partners in this matter.”
A large, white balloon with advanced technology flew over the continental United States last week. On the orders of US President Joe Biden, warplanes shot it down on the coast of South Carolina over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.
China justified that the balloon was used for weather research, but the Pentagon described the balloon flight as a high-tech espionage operation.
The balloon flew much higher than most aircraft and flew over at least one sensitive US military facility.
According to US officials, countermeasures were taken to prevent confidential information from being obtained by the balloon’s instruments during the flight.
The balloon was shot down only when it was already over the ocean, as this was the only way to guarantee that people on the ground would not be injured, officials explained.
The process is currently underway to retrieve the wreckage from the ocean and conduct its research.
