On Saturday, the balloon was shot down by the US Air Force, which the authorities in Beijing have called an overreaction which they have promised to retaliate. Pictures from the U2 spy plane show that the Chinese balloon that flew over the United States was clearly equipped to gather intelligence, not weather data, according to an official statement from the US government on Thursday. It had several antennas suitable for finding military transmitters on the ground. It also had solar panels to back it up, according to the same statement from the US. The balloon was shot down by an American fighter plane after it had flown over most of the northern United States, including places where the United States has its nuclear weapons, as well as large bombers. Sanctions The balloon was flown by the Chinese army and was part of a fleet of balloons that China has sent to more than 40 countries on five continents to gather intelligence, according to US authorities. The US said on Thursday that it would sanction anyone who had any to do with what the Americans believe was a spy balloon, writes Reuters. Ice front Relations between China and the US have become even colder after the balloon affair. Last weekend, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken was supposed to have traveled to China, but the visit was canceled after the Chinese balloon appeared over the United States. China still insists the balloon was just a stray weather balloon. China on Thursday refused to accept a phone call with the US military over what the Chinese call an irresponsible decision to shoot down the balloon. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the balloon shows that the world must protect itself against China. – The Chinese balloon over the USA confirms Chinese behavior where we see that China has invested heavily in new military capacity in recent years, he says.
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– Was a spy balloon – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
