Statements by the Defense Department and several Republican members of Congress support fears that the recent Chinese spy balloon shot down over South Carolina was built at least partially with American-made technology.
Several Republican Senators discussed this possibility on Fox News. Members of Congress received a classified briefing this week from several government agencies, including the Department of Defense and the State Department.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) spoke to Fox News about the risks of American parts being used by Beijing.
“Of course I’m concerned about that,” he said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) said similar, though he said that more is left to be discovered.
“American companies shouldn’t be helping build spy satellites that are used against their own citizens,” he said.
Chinese Spy Balloon May Have Had American-Made Parts- Biden Regime Didn’t See the Problem with It https://t.co/BNlhyNQwR4
— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) February 10, 2023
Several parts of the balloon were made with Western parts and appeared to have visible English writing, according to defense officials. The use of such parts dramatically increases the chances that American manufacturing played a role in the balloon’s manufacture, wittingly or otherwise.
The revelations also mark wider suspicions about China stealing American intellectual property. China’s large black market and government spying raise the chances that previous economic piracy may be spreading into military operations.
A 2022 report claimed that China stole technology from a number of major American companies. Furthermore, in 2021 four Chinese citizens were charged by the Justice Department for hacking intellectual property.
The potential use of American parts or technology to then be used to spy against the United States will likely play a major role in discussions surrounding the balloon.
Furthermore, Republican senators are already calling for answers, which may result in a special investigation regarding the origins of the balloon. Members of Congress of both parties voted together to condemn the Chinese spying effort.
The unanimous vote is an indicator that Chinese spying efforts have unified many Americans against Beijing. Most Americans disagreed with the Biden Administration’s delay in shooting down the balloon, believing that the White House should have taken a more aggressive posture.
