2023-06-30 05:18:00
The Chinese balloon shot down by the United States in February over the Atlantic had not gathered intelligence while flying over American territory, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
“We believe today that he did not collect information while he was crossing or flying over the United States”said US Department of Defense spokesman Pat Ryder.
The United States had “taken measures to limit” obtaining information by the balloon, he added, which has “definitely helped”.
Pat Ryder did not provide further details on these measures.
This imposing balloon had crossed the United States from west to east, from Alaska to South Carolina, from the end of January to the beginning of February.
It had passed over strategic military installations.
The balloon was shot down on February 4 over the Atlantic and its debris was recovered by the US military, which has since studied its contents.
The incident had cast a chill in relations between Beijing and Washington. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a long-planned trip to China.
Washington had assured that it was a spy balloon, which Beijing had denied, saying that it had drifted unintentionally into American airspace.
At the time, an American official claimed that the device was equipped with several antennas, some of which were probably capable of picking up and geolocating communications.
In June, however, US President Joe Biden said he believed “Chinese leaders did not know” where the ball was or what was in it.
“I think it was more embarrassing than intentional”he added.
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