Kyodo News: Chinese Military Unit Involved in Operating 'Reconnaissance Balloon' Shot Down by US

China's "reconnaissance balloon" was shot down by a U.S. fighter jet on the 4th (local time) and is falling into the sea off Surfside Beach, South Carolina.

Japanese local media reported that a unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army was involved in operating the Chinese "reconnaissance balloon" that recently intruded into and was shot down over U.S. airspace.

On the 9th, Japan's Kyodo News, citing multiple Chinese sources, explained that the balloon in question is a dual-use reconnaissance balloon developed by the China Academy of Sciences' space technology research institute, which is directly affiliated with the Chinese government.

It also revealed that the "Strategic Support Unit," responsible for space and cyber domains within the Chinese military, has been involved in its operation.

The Strategic Support Unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is known to have operated reconnaissance balloons in various locations such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

According to the report, Chinese military authorities did not immediately notify the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs or others about the reconnaissance balloon's recent entry into U.S. airspace. Earlier, on the 3rd, when the U.S. announced that the balloon had intruded into its airspace, the Chinese government stated that the balloon was a civilian airship used for scientific research such as weather observation.

Kyodo News reported that the Communist Party Central Political Bureau Standing Committee, the highest leadership body in China, is taking the incident seriously. Taking this incident as an opportunity, China has mandated that when conducting flights that may enter foreign countries during periods that could significantly impact foreign policy, prior approval must be obtained from President Xi Jinping, who is also the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.