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China claims US balloons flew over its airspace more than 10 times

2023-02-13T13:40:42.179Z


A Chinese spokesperson stated that they had no information about three other high-altitude unidentified objects that have been shot down over North America recently.


By Jennifer Jett and Janis Mackey Frayer -

NBC News

HONG KONG — China said Monday that high-altitude balloons belonging to the United States had flown over its airspace without permission more than 10 times since early 2022.

"It is not uncommon for American balloons to illegally enter other countries' airspace," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular press briefing.

[What is known about the four unidentified objects shot down at high altitude over North America?]

“The United States should first reflect on itself and change course instead of smearing other countries,” he added.

Wang did not provide further details about the alleged raids or say whether the balloons appeared to be military in nature or used for espionage purposes.

He stated that China reserves the right to use "any means necessary" to deal with such situations.

US officials were not immediately available for comment.

In this image taken from video, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin gestures during a news conference at the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023.Liu Zheng / AP

These are the first such accusations made by China against the White House since the US military earlier this month shot down a balloon off the coast of South Carolina that the Biden government said China was using for surveillance purposes. .

China claims that it was a civil unmanned aircraft conducting meteorological research, which had gone off course and that the United States overreacted by shooting it down.

Wang also said China had no information on the three unidentified objects shot down over North America in recent days, one over Alaska on Friday, one over Canada on Saturday and one over Michigan on Sunday.

[USA.

shoots down another unidentified object over Lake Huron - fourth in less than two weeks]

It's not clear if those objects, which were flying much lower, are related to China or the earlier balloon.

Wang said that he had no information on them.

Pentagon officials told reporters late on Sunday that they had not been able to assess what the objects were and had "acted out of an abundance of caution."

“The PRC spy balloon was, of course, different in the sense that we know precisely what it was,” said Melissa Dalton, Under Secretary of Defense for National Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, using the initials of China's formal name. , the People's Republic of China.

The officials said the apparent increase in detection of unidentified flying objects could be partly explained by the fact that the Pentagon has been examining US airspace more closely since the balloon was shot down, including improving of radar systems.

The downed flying object over Canadian territory had a cylindrical shape

Feb 12, 202303:21

China, for its part, is keeping an eye on an unknown flying object on its own soil, according to Chinese news outlet The Paper.

In a report published on Sunday, the newspaper said maritime authorities in the eastern province of Shandong had alerted local fishermen that they were preparing to shoot down the object, detected over waters near the coastal city of Rizhao.

The report did not give details about the object, such as where authorities believe it might have originated from, and Wang did not respond to a question from reporters about it.

Collin Koh, a research fellow at the Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, explained that the Chinese report of an unidentified flying object could be interpreted as an attempt by Beijing to divert attention from its balloon program. surveillance after previous damage control efforts proved ineffective.

“The goal obviously seems to be to highlight to the entire international community that China is also a victim,” he said, though that doesn't necessarily mean the object isn't there.

[USA.

shoots down new "unidentified" aircraft that violated Canadian airspace]

In addition to shooting down the Chinese balloon, Washington has responded by postponing a planned visit to China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and blacklisting six Chinese entities it says are linked to China's aerospace programs, a decision Wang critical.

However, Wang said the two countries maintained the necessary communications.

"The key is to keep a cool head, professionalism and restraint," he said.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2023-02-13

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