China balloon debris to be combed for American parts: U.S. official

Analyzing downed device will be a 'whole of government' task

A U.S. Navy sailor conducts a search for debris with an underwater vehicle during efforts to recover a high-altitude Chinese balloon shot down by the U.S. Air Force off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 7. © U.S. Navy handout via Reuters

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

February 16, 2023 15:29 JST

TOKYO -- U.S. efforts to recover and analyze the debris of the Chinese spy balloon shot down earlier this month will be an all-government operation, a senior U.S. official told reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.

"It's certainly whole of government," said Thea Kendler, assistant secretary for export administration at the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security.