Initial probe claims commercial US gear found on China balloon: WSJ
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The preliminary investigations found that despite previous claims, the balloon was not transmitting information back to China.
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The Chinese balloon seen over the US city of Billings, Montana, on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 (AFP)
The Chinese balloon that flew over several US states earlier this year was using American technology to allegedly collect audio-visual data, The Wall Street Journal said on Thursday citing initial investigation findings.
According to the newspaper, while the balloon allegedly gathered information, it was not being transmitted back to China.
The report comes after US President Joe Biden described Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "dictator" last week in an address to his party's donors, which was held in preparation for the 2024 elections campaign.
Read more: US disguised aerial devices as civilian aircrafts to spy on China
Biden then claimed that the reason Xi "got very upset" after the US Air Force shot down the balloon is because the Chinese leader was not aware that it was allegedly carrying "two box cars full of spy equipment."
He made his surprising remarks just after US State Secretary Antony Blinken returned from his official trip to China that aimed to achieve "greater stability to the [US-China] relationship." Blinken's recent visit came after an original one scheduled a few months back was canceled following the balloon tensions.
The Wall Street Journal said that US agencies taking part in the probe found that the balloon was allegedly carrying commercially available American equipment on board along with other Chinese gear.
In an interview with NBC last week, Blinken said that as long as the incident doesn't happen again, the "chapter should be closed."
Read more: China slams Biden for his 'enormous problems' comments
US Defense Intelligence Agency DIA indicated that "the investigation is ongoing" and declined to comment on the report.
In light of the accidental entry of a Chinese unmanned balloon into US airspace earlier in February, Beijing's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said via a spokesperson that China regretted the unintended breach of US airspace.
"China has repeatedly explained the situation to the United States, but Washington abuses force, overreacts and escalates the situation, which violates the spirit of international law and international practice," Wang Wenbin said then.
