Last Friday, the U.S.A Department of Commerce sanctioned six Chinese tech firms for their involvement in the Chinese military’s reconnaissance balloon program.
And the businesses were added to a long list of Chinese enterprises that the United States has identified as major security risks.
Hours before the penalties were announced, a U.S.A military F-22 intercepted a second “high altitude object” that had breached American airspace in the previous week.
Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, Alan Estevez stated, “The PRC’s deployment of high-altitude balloons undermines our sovereignty and harms U.S. national security.”
The PRC stands for the People’s Republic of China.
According to the White House, “today’s move makes it clear that organizations that want to threaten U.S. national security and sovereignty will be cut off from access to U.S. technology.”
The plane was shot down off the Alaskan coast on Friday.
Initially, last weekend, a Chinese spy balloon was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of South Carolina.
It took some persuasion for the White House to call the aircraft involved in Friday’s incident “a balloon”.
White House spokesman, John Kirby stated, “We’re calling this an object because that’s the best definition we have right now.”
He also said that U.S. authorities were unsure as to which country or organization was responsible.
Friday’s fresh penalties are a direct result of the government refocused attention on China’s unmanned airship spying projects.
As Vice President Joe Biden put it, “Today’s action shows clearly that we will not fail to act to safeguard Americans’ security”.
This, in reaction to the PRC’s surveillance balloon’s breach of U.S. airspace.
