中国の「偵察気球部隊」、世界中に展開　米

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米国は８日、今月飛来した中国の「偵察気球」は、世界中に展開する「部隊」の一部だとの見解を示した。（写真は米国務省で共同会見するアントニー・ブリンケン国務長官〈右〉と北大西洋条約機構〈ＮＡＴＯ〉のイエンス・ストルテンベルグ事務総長）
　米国のアントニー・ブリンケン国務長官は、日韓訪問後に首都ワシントン入りした北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）のイエンス・ストルテンベルグ事務総長と共同会見し、中国の「偵察気球」が、世界中に展開している可能性を指摘した。
　「米国だけではなく、五大陸にまたがる国々の主権を侵害している」と述べ、回収された残骸から得たデータをホワイトハウスと米大使館を通じて数十か国と共有していると説明した。
　ストルテンベルグ氏も、気球飛来はＮＡＴＯ諸国が自衛する必要性を示していると述べた。
　米大統領専用機内で取材に応じたカリーヌ・ジャンピエール大統領報道官も、今回の気球は数年前から世界中で目撃されている「部隊」の一部だと述べた。
　米紙ワシントン・ポストは米政府高官の話として、中国の「偵察気球」の一部は同国南部の海南島から出撃し、日本やインド、台湾などの近隣の敵対勢力の軍事施設を偵察していると報じた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/02/09-16:46）

The United States said Wednesday that suspected Chinese spy balloons like the one it shot down were part of a fleet that has spanned five continents, as NATO joined in voicing concern.
Pointing to global ramifications of the incident that has animated the United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was giving data to allies as it assesses the recovered debris.
We already shared information with dozens of countries around the world, both from Washington and through our embassies, Blinken said.
We're doing so because the United States was not the only target of this broader program, which has violated the sovereignty of countries across five continents, he told a joint news conference with NATO's visiting chief.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaking separately to reporters on Air Force One, described the balloons as part of a fleet and said they had been spotted around the world for several years.
A huge white balloon carrying sophisticated equipment traversed the continental United States last week before President Joe Biden ordered the military to shoot it down just off the east coast in the Atlantic.
China insists that the balloon was merely conducting weather research, but the Pentagon described it as a high-tech spying operation. The balloon floated at an altitude far higher than most airplanes and crossed directly over at least one sensitive US military site.
- 'Pattern' by China -
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, whose visit to Washington followed a trip to Japan and South Korea, said the balloon showed the need for countries across the alliance to protect themselves.
The Chinese balloon over the United States confirms a pattern of Chinese behavior where we see that China over the last years has invested heavily in new military capabilities, Stoltenberg said.
We've also seen increased Chinese intelligence activities in Europe. They use satellites, they use cyber and, as we've seen over the United States, also balloons. So we just have to be vigilant, he said.
Stoltenberg also issued a new warning that China was drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine, which NATO countries have been supporting as it fights back Russian invaders.
What happens in Europe today could happen in Asia tomorrow, Stoltenberg said, pointing to China's pressure on Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing.
The Washington Post, quoting US officials, reported that the Chinese surveillance program has been run partly out of the southern island of Hainan.
Updating old technology, the balloons have been used to monitor the military assets of nearby rivals such as Japan, India and Taiwan, the newspaper said.
Biden, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, said that his orders to shoot down the balloon showed that the United States would not hesitate to act when needed.
But he also stressed that the United States did not want conflict with China. The balloon episode led Blinken to postpone a trip to China in which he had hoped to work at easing tensions.
China, which voiced regret about the air intrusion but later denounced the US decision to down it, responded to Biden that it would also firmly defend its interests.
US officials said they took measures to prevent the balloon's instruments from collecting confidential information during its flight.
They say that the decision to wait until the balloon reached water was the only way to ensure the safety of people on the ground.
Biden's Republican rivals say he should have ordered the balloon to be destroyed as soon as it was identified.