Chinese authorities have confirmed that an “unmanned aircraft” flying over Latin America originated in China, even as Beijing stepped up its protests against the U.S. military’s decision to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that traversed the United States last week.
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At a regular news briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the second balloon also came from China, but she claimed that it was used for civilian flight tests. “Due to the impact of weather and limited self-steering ability, this aircraft seriously deviated from its scheduled course,” Mao said.
The Pentagon has identified the vehicle as another suspected Chinese surveillance device, similar to the huge white globe spotted by civilians Wednesday as it hung over Montana. Beijing said that one was a weather balloon blown off-course.
China blames U.S. politics for ‘overreaction’ to suspected spy balloon
Asked why China had so much trouble keeping its balloons in check, Mao said she was “not an expert” and could only say that “this is not the first time that control was lost of balloons used for scientific purposes by the international community.”
Separately on Monday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng lodged “solemn representations” with the U.S. Embassy in Beijing over the use of an F-22 Raptor to shoot down the balloon that had slowly drifted across U.S. continental airspace over multiple days. “The facts are very clear that this incident was accidental and it must not be misrepresented,” he said. “China urges the U.S. side not to escalate or broaden a tense situation.”
After initially expressing regret for the appearance of the balloon, China hardened its stance over the weekend with accusations that the U.S. response was an “overreaction” and “seriously violated international practices.” The Chinese military said it reserved the right to use unspecified “necessary means” in similar situations.
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At a regular news briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the second balloon also came from China, but she claimed that it was used for civilian flight tests. “Due to the impact of weather and limited self-steering ability, this aircraft seriously deviated from its scheduled course,” Mao said.
The Pentagon has identified the vehicle as another suspected Chinese surveillance device, similar to the huge white globe spotted by civilians Wednesday as it hung over Montana. Beijing said that one was a weather balloon blown off-course.
China blames U.S. politics for ‘overreaction’ to suspected spy balloon
Asked why China had so much trouble keeping its balloons in check, Mao said she was “not an expert” and could only say that “this is not the first time that control was lost of balloons used for scientific purposes by the international community.”
Separately on Monday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng lodged “solemn representations” with the U.S. Embassy in Beijing over the use of an F-22 Raptor to shoot down the balloon that had slowly drifted across U.S. continental airspace over multiple days. “The facts are very clear that this incident was accidental and it must not be misrepresented,” he said. “China urges the U.S. side not to escalate or broaden a tense situation.”
After initially expressing regret for the appearance of the balloon, China hardened its stance over the weekend with accusations that the U.S. response was an “overreaction” and “seriously violated international practices.” The Chinese military said it reserved the right to use unspecified “necessary means” in similar situations.
