At present, the balloon event is drawing to a close.
U.S. President Joe Biden made his first speech on a series of high-altitude objects shot down recently on February 16, saying that the three objects shot down over North America were not spy balloons and had nothing to do with China. or research institutions."
He is looking forward to speaking with China to discuss the balloon incident.
The "Washington Post" quoted several anonymous US officials on February 14 as saying that the Chinese balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean may have accidentally flown into US airspace.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also said on February 14 that there was no indication that the three flying objects shot down by the U.S. military over the weekend were related to so-called "Chinese espionage" and that they may be "related to commercial or research activities." entity and is therefore harmless".
After the United States shot down a Chinese balloon on February 5, the authorities sent personnel to the sea off South Carolina to salvage the wreckage of the balloon.
(Reuters)
The United States has begun to take the initiative to cool down, which may have something to do with the possible meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office Wang Yi during the Munich Security Conference.
But on the other hand, the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress criticized the U.S. House of Representatives in its statement on February 16 for passing a resolution condemning Chinese balloons for violating U.S. sovereignty.
After the U.S. military shot down the Chinese balloon, the House of Representatives passed a bill without objection as early as February 9, accusing the Chinese balloon of blatantly violating U.S. sovereignty.
Why was the clarification of China's NPC's position delayed until February 16?
Is it because China wants to continue to fight back vigorously, or is China's public opinion counterattack itself lagging behind?
Excerpts from the Q&A transcript of the press conference held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China on February 15.
(Screenshot from the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China)
With the development of the situation today, except that the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out at the press conference that the US balloons entered China's airspace more than a dozen times, there are very few other details involved.
It is not known which company the balloon belongs to, what the original route was, and whether it lost tracking and control during the flight.
The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly answered questions from media reporters about the balloon incident.
Take the Q&A on February 15 as an example.
Most of them are position presentations.
The excessive play of the United States is obvious to all, and it is also obvious that China's answer is not what the question asked.
The lack of dissemination of the most basic information on this matter is the key to China's difficulty in gaining the upper hand in this public opinion.
The balloon incident is destined to be just a small twist in the development of Sino-US relations.
However, China's gains and losses in this public opinion war deserve further review and reflection.
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