China: U.S. has flown at least TEN balloons through its airspace since 2022
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China fires back, says US has flown at least TEN balloons through its airspace since 2022: Diplomatic tensions rise as Congress demands answers from Biden after downing of fourth object
- China said on Monday that more than 10 American hot air balloons have flown in its airspace without its permission over the past year.
- The Chinese accusation came after the United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had crossed from Alaska to South Carolina.
- “It is also common for American balloons to illegally enter other countries’ airspace,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily briefing.
- National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that was “absolutely untrue” during an appearance Monday on Morning Joe.
China said on Monday that more than 10 high-altitude balloons from the United States have flown in its airspace without its permission over the past year, following Washington’s accusation that Beijing operates a fleet of surveillance balloons around the world.
The Chinese accusation came after the United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had crossed from Alaska to South Carolina, sparking a new crisis in bilateral relations that has soared to its lowest level in decades.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not provide details about the alleged US balloons, how they were dealt with or whether they had government or military ties.
“It’s also common for American balloons to illegally enter other countries’ airspace,” he told a daily briefing. “Since last year, US high-altitude balloons have illegally flown over China’s airspace more than 10 times without the approval of Chinese authorities.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby denied the Chinese claim during an appearance on Morning Joe on Monday.
The suspected Chinese spy balloon heads into the ocean after being shot down on February 4 off the coast of South Carolina.
“Not true, not doing it, absolutely not true,” Kirby said. ‘That’s right. We are not flying balloons over China.’
Wang said the United States should “first reflect on itself and change course, instead of slandering and instigating confrontation.”
China said the balloon shot down by the United States was an unmanned aircraft made for meteorological research that had drifted off course.
He accused the United States of overreacting in shooting him down and threatened unspecified action in response.
After the incident, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a visit to Beijing that many hoped would curb sharply deteriorating relations over Taiwan, trade, human rights and China’s threatening actions in the disputed South China Sea.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are demanding answers with a briefing for all members scheduled for Monday.
Also on Monday, the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard ship of targeting a Philippine coast guard ship with a military-grade laser and temporarily blinding some of its crew in the South China Sea, calling it a violation.” flagrant” of Manila’s sovereign rights.
Wang said that the Philippine ship had illegally entered Chinese waters without permission on February 6 and that the Chinese coast guard ships responded “professionally and with restraint.”
China claims virtually the entire strategic waterway and has been steadily building up its maritime forces and outposts on the island.
“China and the Philippines maintain communication through diplomatic channels in this regard,” Wang said.
China’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a question about the incident.
Adding to tensions, a US warplane shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron on Sunday on the orders of President Joe Biden.
It was the fourth such shootdown in eight days in an extraordinary chain of events over US airspace that Pentagon officials believe is unprecedented in peacetime.
The Chinese balloon shot down by the US was equipped to detect and collect intelligence as part of a massive military-linked aerial surveillance program targeting more than 40 countries, the Biden administration declared Thursday, citing spy footage. American U-2. planes
Part of the reason for the repeated shootdowns is “intensified alert” following the suspected Chinese spy balloon, Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command, said at a briefing. with journalists.
The United States has since placed economic restrictions on six Chinese entities it said are linked to Beijing’s aerospace programs as part of its response to the incident.
The US House of Representatives also voted unanimously to condemn China for a “blatant violation” of US sovereignty and efforts to “mislead the international community through false claims about its campaigns of intelligence gathering”.
Wang repeated China’s rejection of such claims, saying: “The US’s frequent launch of advanced missiles to shoot down the objects is an overreaction of excessive effort.”