On Monday, the US Air Force shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that allegedly carried multiple antennas capable of collecting signals intelligence from military assets in countries and areas of strategic interest to China, according to officials with knowledge of the matter. Reports suggest that the balloon, believed to be part of an ongoing surveillance project for several years, was targeting countries such as India, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.

The US State Department has accused China of disregarding civil aviation regulations and infringing US airspace with its balloons. US officials have briefed more than 150 diplomats in 40 embassies worldwide, explaining why the US took action against the balloon, which China has said was a 'civilian airship' intended for meteorological research.

The revelation is significant since counter-intelligence experts have raised questions as to why China chose to use such an apparently "low-tech" method of collecting intelligence when