China confirmed on Thursday (February 9th) that it had refused a phone call from Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin after a Chinese balloon flying over the United States was destroyed, denouncing an "
irresponsible
" act.
The US military shot down on Saturday, off the coast of South Carolina, a Chinese balloon considered by the Pentagon to be a spy balloon, intended to collect sensitive information.
“irresponsible act”
Beijing maintains for its part that it was a civil aerostat, mainly intended to collect meteorological data, which deviated from its trajectory.
After the craft was destroyed, China declined a phone call between Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and his counterpart Wei Fenghe, Washington said.
Beijing confirmed this information on Thursday and again castigated the use of force against its ball.
"
This irresponsible and seriously erroneous act has not created a climate conducive to dialogue and exchanges between the two armies
", justified the Chinese Ministry of Defense in a press release.
"
The United States insisted on using force against a Chinese civilian airship, which seriously contravenes international practice and sets a bad precedent
," the ministry said.
“
China reserves the right to use all necessary means in a similar situation
,” the statement added without detailing the measures envisaged.
Read alsoChinese balloon shot down: the incident of the mysterious aircraft raises questions about Beijing's intentions
US President Joe Biden assured that he "
is not looking for conflict
" with China in an interview with the PBS channel.
"
No
," replied the tenant of the White House to the journalist who asked him if relations with Beijing had suffered "
a blow
" after this incident.
“
We will compete fully with China, but we are not looking for conflict
,” he assured.
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