Top secret seek for planes expose details about China’s seek for balloon

>>> TONIGHT, INTELLIGENCE FROM TOP SECRET U.S. SPY PLANES IS PROVIDING STARTLING DETAILS ABOUT CHINA'S SPY OPERATIONS. WE ARE LEARNING THAT IMAGES TAKEN OF THE SPY BALLOONS BY HIGH ALTITUDE YOUTUBE PLANES SHOW IN DETAIL FIVE ANTENNAS AND HUGE SOLAR PANELS, THE KIND OF.

TECHNOLOGY THAT GAVE THE CHINESE NOT JUST THE ABILITY TO LISTEN TO U.S. COMMUNICATIONS AND TO PINPOINT EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE COMING FROM, WHO THEY WERE COMING FROM. ALL OF THIS ESPECIALLY ALARMING AS THE BALLOON PASSED OVER SENSITIVE MILITARY SITES BEFORE.

THE U.S. AIR FORCE SHOT IT DOWN OFF THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST. AND OF COURSE WE KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER BALLOONS WHERE THAT ONE CAME FROM. THESE NEW DETAILS COME AS CHINA IS FORCEFULLY PUSHING BACK AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN'S VERY PUBLIC CRITICISM OF PRESIDENT XI.

JINPING AT THE STATE OF THE UNION. “OUTFRONT” NOW, WILL RIPLEY WHO THE ABOUT IS IN TAIWAN. >> Reporter: FIERY NEW RHETORIC FROM CHINA ESCALATING THE SUSPECTED SPY BALLOON SCANDAL. BEIJING BLASTING PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN FOR CRITICIZING CHINESE.

PRESIDENT XI JINPING. >> CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHER WORLD LEADER WHO WOULD TRADE PLACES WITH XI JINPING? NOT A JOKE. CAN YOU THINK OF ANY WHO WOULD? I CAN'T THINK OF ONE. THIS MAN HAS ENORMOUS PROBLEMS. >> Reporter: CHINA SAYS BIDEN'S.

REMARKS ARE HIGHLY IRRESPONSIBLE AND VIOLATE BASIC DIPLOMATIC PROTOCOLS. PROBLEMS COMPLICATED BY A GROWING PILE OF EVIDENCE, PIECES OF THE DOWNED BALLOON PULLED FROM THE SEA OFF THE CAROLINA COAST. PROOF THE PENTAGON SAYS CHINA'S.

WEATHER BALLOON CLAIM IS NOTHING BUT HOT AIR. A CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN SAYS “I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AMERICA'S CLAIM THAT THIS BALLOON IS PART OF A FLEET. I THINK IT COULD BE PART OF THE INFORMATION AND PUBLIC OPINION.

WAR THAT THE U.S. IS WAGING AGAINST CHINA. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CAN SEE CLEARLY WHO IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST ESPIONAGE AND SURVEILLANCE COUNTRY.” >> I CAN SAY AYE SURE YOU THIS WAS NOT FOR CIVILIAN PURPOSES. WE ARE 100% CLEAR ABOUT THAT.

>> THERE IS THAT. >> Reporter: THE U.S. LINKED THE BALLOON TO A VAST CHINESE MILITARY SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM, A GROWING LIST OF GLOBAL BALLOON SIGHTINGS, AND QUESTIONS. THE U.S. BELIEVES MANY BALLOONS ARE LAUNCHED FROM CHINA'S HAINAN ISLAND, WHERE A U.S. SPY PLANE.

MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN 2001. CHINA TOOK THREE MONTHS TO INVESTIGATE BEFORE RETURNING THE PLANE IN PIECES. NOW CHINA IS ATTACKING THE U.S. FOR SHOOTING DOWN ITS BALLOON AND SENDING THE PIECES TO AN FBI LAB.

THE SPOKESMAN SAYS THE U.S. INSISTS ON USING FORCE TO ATTACK CHINESE UNMANNED CIVILIAN AIR SHIPS WHICH SERIOUSLY VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE AND SETS A HORRIBLE PRECEDENT. U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN ASKED FOR A PHONE CALL WITH CHINA'S DEFENSE MINISTER.

BEIJING BLUNTLY DECLINED. >> AND IT'S A PRECARIOUS MOMENT. I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN LEARNING THAT XI JINPING WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THIS PROGRAM. AND IN FACT, THIS PROGRAM IS NOT NEW. AND IN FACT, BALLOONS FLYING OVER THE U.S. SPYING FROM CHINA.

IS NOT NEW. BUT JUST HOW MUCH DID XI JINPING KNOW? >> YEAH, I MEAN, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MORE THAN 40 COUNTRIES ACROSS FIVE CONTINENTS, ACCORDING TO A SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL. >> WOW.

>> THESE BALLOONS HAVE GATHERED INTELLIGENCE. THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN GOING ON WITH PRESIDENT XI'S DIRECT KNOWLEDGE. HOWEVER, LAWMAKERS BRIEF ON THIS HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS PARTICULAR BALLOON AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME MAY HAVE BEEN.

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