Beijing [China], February 10 (ANI): In a response to the White House’s assertion on suspected ‘spy balloons’ being part of a PRC fleet of balloons developed to conduct surveillance operations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday mentioned that the US overreacted by utilizing drive and that the narrative might be a part of the data and public opinion warfare Washington has waged on China.
During a daily press convention on Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning mentioned that the unmanned Chinese civilian airship into US airspace is fully attributable to “force majeure.””On the airship, the Chinese side has repeatedly shared its information. The unintended, unexpected entry of the unmanned Chinese civilian airship into US airspace is entirely caused by force majeure. The Chinese side has made that clear in its communication with the US side time and again, yet the US overreacted by using force. China firmly opposes and deplores this. I am not aware of any “fleet of balloons,” the official readout of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China quoted Mao Ning as saying.
The suspected Chinese ‘spy balloon’ was shot down by the US navy over the Atlantic Ocean earlier this week.
Moreover, Mao Ning additionally took a jibe at Japan and mentioned that it ought to undertake an goal and truthful place on the airship incident as an alternative of dramatizing it just like the US.
Speaking additional, Mao Ning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson mentioned that when it comes to reconnaissance and surveillance, the US leads the world and likewise has world intelligence applications which were ongoing for some time. She blamed the US for threatening China’s nationwide safety and undermining regional peace and stability.
“The US is the number one country in surveillance and reconnaissance. It has long-running intelligence programs across the globe. US aircraft and warships frequently conduct close-in reconnaissance around China, which seriously threatens China’s national security and undermines regional peace and stability. The Chinese side has repeatedly voiced our grave concerns. The US needs to put an immediate end to such provocations,” the Spokesperson mentioned.
The ties between the US and China have all the time been dicey on account of Beijing’s territorial claims over the Indo-Pacific.
China’s remarks got here after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre on Wednesday responded to a media question on whether or not China is utilizing balloons to spy on Japan, Taiwan, and another Asian allies. She mentioned that the balloons are a part of a PRC fleet of balloons developed to conduct surveillance operations.
“So these balloons are all part of a PRC fleet of balloons developed to conduct surveillance operations, as you know which have also violated the sovereignty of other countries. And over the past several years, Chinese balloons have previously been spotted over countries across five continents. We have been in touch with allies and partners on this issue,” Jean Pierre mentioned in the course of the briefing.
The US State Department official earlier mentioned the balloon was a part of a Chinese fleet developed to hold out “surveillance operations” with a producer linked to China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), as per the CNN report.
The official recommended that the US is eyeing sanctions for the presence of the balloon in US airspace which the administration has repeatedly termed a “violation of US sovereignty and international law.”Earlier on February 4, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in an announcement mentioned that US fighter plane assigned to US Northern Command efficiently shot down the high-altitude surveillance balloon belonging to China over the water off the coast of South Carolina in US airspace.
He mentioned that the balloon which was utilized by China in an try to surveil strategic websites within the continental US was shot down above US territorial waters. (ANI)