Who Is Wu Zhe? Scientist Behind China’s Spy Balloon Program

Within of a week of the United States shooting down a suspected spy balloon launched by China, the U.S. Commerce Department sanctioned five Chinese companies and one research institute it said were linked to Beijing’s high-altitude surveillance program. Over half of the new entities now subject to U.S. export controls have links to one man, Wu Zhe, an acclaimed Chinese scientist at Beihang University, who could be among the top brains behind Beijing’s seemingly under-appreciated dirigible strategy. The six organizations were added to the U.S. entity list on February 10, Wu’s 66th birthday, over their provision of airships, balloons and…