The high-altitude Chinese balloon that crossed over the U.S. last week is just part of a years-long surveillance program with Beijing deploying such craft around the globe, the US said, as officials sought to draw new attention to what they say is an increasingly aggressive Chinese spying campaign.
The Chinese spying has gone on for “several years,” sending four balloons over the U.S. alone, a Pentagon spokesman said. In a news conference Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. had briefed dozens of countries about the full extent of the espionage.
“The United States was not the only target of this broader program, which has violated the sovereignty of countries across five continents,” Blinken said at a briefing alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Blinken said the U.S. will reveal more about the balloon in the coming days as it collects pieces of the craft, which was shot down Saturday off the coast of South Carolina.
