China accuses U. S. of launching Spy Balloons
2023.02.13 08:38
China accuses U. S. of launching Spy Balloons
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – China made the claim on Monday that high-altitude balloons from the United States had violated its airspace more than ten times since the beginning of 2022, prompting Washington to quickly deny the claim.
After the U.S. military shot down what it claims was a Chinese spy balloon last weekend, China’s accusation widened the dispute with the United States, causing top U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing meant to ease tensions.
In response to a question, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated, “Since last year, the U.S.’s high-altitude balloons have undergone more than 10 illegal flights into Chinese airspace without the approval of the relevant Chinese departments,” at a regular briefing in Beijing.
Wang did not specify that the balloons were for espionage or the military and did not provide any additional information.
When asked about China’s response to such incursions, Wang stated that it had been “professional and responsible.”
John Kirby, national security spokesperson for the White House (NYSE:) rejected China’s claim.
“Not true. ignoring it. “Just absolutely not true,” he stated in an MSNBC interview. We are not using balloons to fly above China.
A request for comment was sent to the United States Defense Department, which did not immediately respond.
China says that the United States shot down what it called a Chinese surveillance balloon on Feb. 4 off the coast of South Carolina after it had been drifting across the United States for days.
China claimed that the balloon was a civilian research vessel that had erroneously gone off course and that the United States had reacted too quickly.
The Pentagon reported that the U.S. military has shot down three more flying objects over North America in recent days, the most recent of which was an octagonal object that was shot down over Lake Huron on Sunday.
Wang stated that he was unaware of the most recent three American aircraft that had been shot down.
