From an AP story by Eric Tucker headlined “Not just balloons: How US sees China spying as major worry”:

The Chinese balloon that traversed the United States before being shot down last weekend captivated public attention and drew sharp denunciations as a brazen spying effort.

But if the vehicle for espionage seemed novel, the concept was anything but.

In ways that are far less public, but often more worrisome, U.S. officials say, the Chinese government has been targeting U.S. industry and government agencies with spy operations designed to collect troves of commercial secrets and sensitive personal data — and to generally give the global superpower a competitive edge.