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China says it 'reserves the right' to deal with 'similar situations' after US planes shot down suspected spy balloon

2023-02-05T17:43:09.384Z


China says it "reserves the right" to deal with "similar situations" following the US decision to shoot down its high-altitude balloon.


Why are hot air balloons used as spy devices?

4:41

(CNN) --

China says it "reserves the right" to deal with "similar situations" following the US decision to shoot down its high-altitude balloon.

“The United States used force to attack our civil unmanned aircraft, which is an obvious overreaction.

We express solemn protest against this move by the US side," Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said in a statement Sunday afternoon local time.

China "reserves the right to use any means necessary to deal with similar situations," it added.

US shoots down China's alleged balloon 1:15

The Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the United States on Sunday of "overreacting" and "seriously violating international practice" after US military fighter jets shot down the balloon over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday in a mission that the president Joe Biden called it a success.

The United States believes the balloon was involved in espionage activities, but China disputed this, insisting it was a civilian research vessel that veered off course.

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“The Chinese side repeatedly informed the US side after verification that the aircraft is for civilian use and entered the US due to force majeure, it was completely an accident,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said.

“Force Majeure” is a legal term that relieves a party of liability if an unforeseen event, such as a natural disaster, prevents it from performing its obligations under the contract.

“China clearly asked the US to properly handle it in a calm, professional and moderate manner.

A spokesperson for the US Department of Defense also stated that the balloon will not pose a military or personal threat to ground personnel," the ministry statement continued.

  • "I ordered it shot down": Biden on China's alleged spy balloon

"China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of relevant companies, while reserving the right to make further necessary reactions," the Foreign Ministry added.

Chinese state media announced on Saturday that the head of the country's meteorological service had been relieved of his post, in a move seen by some analysts as an attempt to reinforce Beijing's position that the high-altitude balloon was primarily civilian in nature for meteorological purposes.

Zhuang Guotai was the head of the China Meteorological Administration until Friday, but his departure from that position was not unexpected.

In late January, Zhuang was elected head of the Western Gansu Province People's Political Consultative Committee, the provincial political advisory body.

US officials have rejected China's repeated claims that the downed balloon was simply for civilian use and had entered US airspace by "accident".

“This was a surveillance balloon from the People's Republic of China (PRC).

This surveillance balloon deliberately traversed the United States and Canada and we are confident that it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites," a senior US administration official said.

The official said a second balloon, seen over Central and South America, was “another PRC surveillance balloon” and had similar technical characteristics to the one flying over the United States.

“Both balloons also carry surveillance equipment that is not generally associated with standard meteorological activities or civilian investigation,” the official said.

"The collection pod equipment and solar panels located on the metal truss suspended below the balloon are a prominent feature of both balloons."

Pentagon officials said earlier this week that the balloon did not pose a "military or physical" threat.

The United States decided not to shoot down the balloon while it remained on land due to the risk of falling debris and injuring a civilian, and instead waited until it was over the ocean.

The US military will now focus on debris recovery efforts.

The incident is the latest in a series of spying cases and has fueled a diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Washington.

Taiwan weighs in on Chinese spy balloon

Meanwhile, Taiwanese authorities said Sunday that the Chinese balloon incident "should not be tolerated by the civilized international community."

The autonomous island, which China claims as part of its territory even though it has never controlled it, has experience with similar balloons flying over its territory.

"Such actions by the Chinese Communist Party government contravene international law, violate other countries' airspace and violate their sovereignty," Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, calling on the Chinese government to "immediately cease the conduct of this type that invades other countries and causes regional instability”.

  • A look at the history of Chinese espionage in the United States

Balloons believed to be used for "weather observations" flew over the island in September 2021 and February 2022, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.

But it's not clear if those balloons were the same type as the one shot down by US warplanes on Saturday.

EspionageBalloon

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2023-02-05

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