The Pentagon said on Thursday that the Chinese balloon shot down by the United States over the Atlantic in February did not collect any information while flying over American territory.
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“Our understanding today is that it did not gather any information while transiting or flying over the United States,” said US Department of Defense spokesman Pat Ryder.
The United States had “taken action to limit intelligence gathering through the balloon,” he added, which “certainly helped.”
Pat Ryder did not provide any further details on these measures.
This imposing balloon crossed the United States from west to east, from Alaska to South Carolina, from late January to early February.
It had flown over strategic military installations.
The balloon was shot down over the Atlantic on February 4 and its debris was recovered by the US military, who have since examined its contents.
The incident had shaken relations between Beijing and Washington. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a long-planned trip to China.
Washington had asserted that it was a spy balloon, which Beijing denied, saying it accidentally drifted into American airspace.
At the time, an American official claimed that the device had multiple antennas, some of which were likely capable of receiving and geolocating communications.
In June, however, US President Joe Biden said he believed “Chinese leaders did not know” where the ball was or what it contained.
“I think it was more embarrassing than intended,” he added.