New photos are adding to evidence that Chinese spy balloons have been flying over parts of Asia for several years, well before a February incident where the U.S. shot down a balloon over its own territory. The recent report by the BBC uncovered multiple satellite photos depicting spy balloons traversing over Japan and Taiwan.
Japan, a close ally of the United States, had previously voiced strong suspicions of surveillance balloons entering its territory at least three times since 2019. The country has said in the future it is prepared to shoot down any such balloons in its airspace.
Japan hosts more American forces than any other foreign country.
Moreover, the BBC reported that the Taiwanese weather service captured a photograph in 2021 of a balloon crossing over the capital city, Taipei.
Taiwan’s government denied it was an intelligence-gathering aircraft. However, Corey Jaskolski, who works for an artificial intelligence company which sifts through data captured by satellites, told the BBC the balloon’s diameter and altitude was similar to the ones that flew over the U.S. and Japan.
“Just based on the diameter of the balloon and the fact that the operating altitudes look similar… that looks an awful lot like the balloon that flew over the United States, over Japan,” Jaskolski said.
Taiwan’s status as a self-governing island claiming independence makes it a focal point in growing tensions between Washington and Beijing. The Chinese military recently conducted a full-scale attack rehearsal targeting Taiwan.
President Joe Biden has said the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China invaded. However, the U.S. administration maintains that it does “not support” Taiwan’s independence, as reiterated by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his recent trip to China.
As of June 27, China has not directly addressed the recent images purportedly showing its balloons hovering over parts of Asia.
However, Beijing has pointed the finger at the United States, accusing it of releasing a large number of high-altitude balloons worldwide for illegal surveillance. U.S. officials have denied those allegations.
