USA: Chinese balloon was military and departed from Hainan Base

US secret services have confirmed that the balloon shot down last Saturday (4) was used by the Chinese military in espionage maneuvers. They believe that the equipment collected information about territories considered strategically important. The balloon crossed the skies of Alaska and Canada, later appearing in the US state of Montana, which is home to nuclear missile structures. After being hit by a fighter plane and the wreckage recovered off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, North American sources, cited in the international press, rely on data extracted from the balloon to conclude that it is a military device. US authorities insist the balloon departed from Hainan, an island in southern China that is home to a naval military base. They add that the purpose of the device was to collect information on strategically relevant territories such as Japan, India, Taiwan and the Philippines. The military operation allegedly involved technology from a private Chinese company that is part of China’s military-civilian fusion apparatus, the Washington Post reported. Beijing has denied the military application of this and other balloons, which have been sighted over Costa Rica and Venezuela, for surveillance purposes. China has argued that the equipment is for civilian use and entered the US due to force majeure – “it was absolutely an accident” US intelligence believes the balloon is part of an “air surveillance program run by the US Army People’s Liberation of Hainan”. US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman shared information with about 150 foreign diplomats and the US embassy in Beijing about the new discoveries about the balloon. “We want to share as many countries as possible, which may also be susceptible to this type of operation.” The wreckage of the device was scattered over 11 kilometers in the Atlantic Ocean and allows estimating that the balloon would have been 60 meters high. *With information from RTP – public television broadcaster in Portugal *Reproduction of this content is prohibited.

Agência Brasil