China on Monday accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force when the American military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon Saturday, saying that had B次元官网网址渟eriously impacted and damaged both sidesB次元官网网址� efforts and progress in stabilizing Sino-U.S. relations.B次元官网网址�
The U.S. shot down a balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian aircraft.
Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng said he lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy on Sunday over the B次元官网网址淯.S. attack on a Chinese civilian unmanned airship by military force.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淗owever, the United States turned a deaf ear and insisted on indiscriminate use of force against the civilian airship that was about to leave the United States airspace, obviously overreacted and seriously violated the spirit of international law and international practice,B次元官网网址� Xie said.
The presence of the balloon in the skies above the U.S. dealt a severe blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations that have been in a downward spiral for years. It prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to abruptly cancel a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing tensions.
Xie repeated ChinaB次元官网网址檚 insistence that the balloon was a Chinese civil unmanned airship that blew into U.S. mistake, calling it B次元官网网址渁n accidental incident caused by force majeure.B次元官网网址�
China would B次元官网网址渞esolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, resolutely safeguard ChinaB次元官网网址檚 interests and dignity and reserve the right to make further necessary responses,B次元官网网址� he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden issued the shootdown order after he was advised that the best times for the operation would be when it was over water, U.S. officials said. Military officials determined that bringing down the balloon over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet (18,000 meters) would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.
B次元官网网址淲hat the U.S. has done has seriously impacted and damaged both sidesB次元官网网址� efforts and progress in stabilizing Sino-U.S. relations since the Bali meeting,B次元官网网址� Xie said, referring to the recent meeting between Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Indonesia that many hoped would create positive momentum for improving ties that have spiraled to their lowest level in years.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning provided no fresh details, repeating ChinaB次元官网网址檚 insistence the object was a civilian balloon intended for meteorological research, had little ability to steer and entered over the U.S. by accidentally diverging from its course. Nor did she say what additional steps China intended to take in response to WashingtonB次元官网网址檚 handling of the issue and cancellation of BlinkenB次元官网网址檚 trip, which would have made him the highest ranking U.S. official to visit since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
B次元官网网址淲e have stated that this is completely an isolated and accidental incident caused by force majeure, but the U.S. still hyped up the incident on purpose and even used force to attack,B次元官网网址� Mao said Monday at a daily briefing. B次元官网网址淭his is an unacceptable and irresponsible action.B次元官网网址�
Balloons thought or known to be Chinese have been spotted from Latin America to Japan and JapanB次元官网网址檚 Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told reporters Monday that a flying object similar to the one shot down by the U.S. had been spotted at least twice over northern Japan since 2020.
B次元官网网址淲e are continuing to analyze them in connection with the latest case in the United States,B次元官网网址� he said.
Washington and Beijing are at odds over a range of issues from trade to human rights, but China is most sensitive over alleged violations by the U.S. and others of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Beijing strongly protests military sales to Taiwan and visits by foreign politicians to the island, which it claims as Chinese territory to be recovered by force if necessary.
It reacted to a 2022 visit by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by firing missiles over the island and staging threatening military drills seen as a rehearsal for an invasion or blockade. Beijing also cut off discussion with the U.S. on issues including climate change that are unrelated to military tensions.
Last week, Mao warned PelosiB次元官网网址檚 successor, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, not to travel Taiwan, implying ChinaB次元官网网址檚 response would be equally vociferous.
B次元官网网址淐hina will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests,B次元官网网址� Mao said. McCarthy said China had no right to dictate where and when he could travel.
China also objects when foreign military surveillance planes fly off its coast in international airspace and when U.S. and other foreign warships pass through the Taiwan Strait, accusing them of being actively provocative.
In 2001, a U.S. Navy plane conducting routine surveillance near the Chinese coast collided with a Chinese fighter plane, killing the Chinese fighter pilot and damaging the American plane, which was forced to make an emergency landing at a China naval airbase on the southern Chinese island province of Hainan. China detained the 24-member U.S. Navy aircrew for 10 days until the U.S. expressed regret over the Chinese pilotB次元官网网址檚 death and for landing at the base without permission.
The South China Sea is another major source of tension. China claims the strategically key sea virtually in its entirety and protests when U.S. Navy ships sail past Chinese military features there.
At a news conference Friday with his South Korean counterpart, Blinken said B次元官网网址渢he presence of this surveillance balloon over the United States in our skies is a clear violation of our sovereignty, a clear violation of international law, and clearly unacceptable. And weB次元官网网址檝e made that clear to China.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淎ny country that has its airspace violated in this way I think would respond similarly, and I can only imagine what the reaction would be in China if they were on the other end,B次元官网网址� Blinken said.
ChinaB次元官网网址檚 weather balloon excuse should be dismissed outright, said Oriana Skylar Mastro, an expert on Chinese military affairs and foreign policy at Stanford University.
B次元官网网址淭his is like a standard thing that countries often say about surveillance assets,B次元官网网址� Mastro said.
China may have made a mistake and lost control of the balloon, but is was unlikely to have been a deliberate attempt to disrupt BlinkenB次元官网网址檚 visit, Mastro said.
For the U.S. administration, the decision to go public and then shoot down the balloon marks a break from its usual approach of dealing with Beijing on such matters privately, possibly in hopes of changing ChinaB次元官网网址檚 future behavior.
However, Mastro said, it was unlikely that Beijing would respond positively.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e probably going to dismiss that and continue on as things have been. So I donB次元官网网址檛 see a really clear pathway to improved relations in the foreseeable future.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址斺赌斺赌�
AP journalists Tian Macleod Ji in Bangkok, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and news assistant Caroline Chen in Beijing contributed this report.
By Emily Wang Fujiyama
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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