Balloon row: China says US flew over 10 high-altitude balloons over its airspace since 2022
China says US high-altitude balloons flew over its airspace without permission more than 10 times since the beginning of 2022, widening a diplomatic row between the two countries over balloons.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made these remarks at a regular briefing in Beijing on Monday, without specifically describing the balloons as flying for military or espionage purposes.
"Since last year, the US high-altitude balloons have undergone more than 10 illegal flights into Chinese airspace without the approval of the relevant Chinese departments," Wang said in response to a question.
He said Beijing had “no knowledge” of the Canada incident, but reiterated the first balloon shot down by US forces over the Atlantic was an unintended "accident", emphasizing that its entrance into US airspace was "completely a force majeure."
Last Saturday, a US military fighter jet brought down a suspected Chinese "spy" balloon off the coast of South Carolina, fueling tensions between the arch-foes.
The US alleged the unmanned balloon was designed to detect and collect intelligence signals, but China insisted that it was used for meteorological and other scientific purposes and had strayed into US airspace accidentally.
On Sunday, US military fighter jets shot down an octagonal flying object over Lake Huron, Canada, the Pentagon said, with many pointing fingers at China.
Media reports said it was the fourth flying object to be shot down over North America by a US missile in a little more than a week.
Wang criticized the United States for what he described as Americans' "overreaction" after noticing the Chinese weather balloon in their airspace.
"The first thing the US side should do is to look at itself, to change its ways, not to smear and incite confrontation. ... The US's frequent firing of advanced missiles used to strike down unidentified flying objects is an overreaction of excessive force," he said.
He further explained that when the Chinese side faces such issues as balloons flying over its airspace, Beijing manages the situation smoothly and the Chinese military officials' responses are "responsible and professional".
Following the balloon incident last week, the United States postponed a high-level visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The US also blacklisted six Chinese entities that it accused were linked to Beijing's aerospace programs and the US Congress voted to condemn China for what it called a "brazen violation" of US sovereignty.
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