The Pentagon has stated that the Chinese balloon that traversed the entire continental United States from Alaska to the east coast in February did not engage in any data collection activities, BBC reports.
Officials confirmed on Thursday that the US took measures to minimize the potential intelligence-gathering capabilities of the suspected spy balloon. The debris recovered from the downed balloon is currently undergoing analysis by US intelligence agencies.
This incident strained the relationship between the United States and China. Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder remarked that the US was aware of the balloon's intelligence collection capabilities. However, it has now been assessed that the balloon did not collect any information while passing through or flying over the United States.
Gen Ryder attributed the balloon's failure to gather sensitive data to the efforts undertaken by the US to counter potential intelligence gathering. While he did not confirm a specific report from the Wall Street Journal regarding American-made equipment on the balloon, he noted that Chinese drones have previously utilized off-the-shelf US equipment.
The balloon spent a week in February flying over the United States and Canada before being shot down by a fighter jet off the Atlantic coast under the orders of President Joe Biden. The sensors from the suspected Chinese spy balloon were subsequently retrieved from the ocean. Concerns were raised about Beijing using the balloon to gather information as it passed over US military bases.
Chinese officials claim that it was merely a civilian weather balloon and criticize the US for overreacting by shooting it down. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a diplomatic trip to Beijing as a result of the incident, which was later rescheduled and took place earlier this month.
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