Beijing
China warned against the hype surrounding US allegations that Beijing had flown a spy balloon above its territory and said it was working to establish the facts. Just days before top US diplomat Antony Blink en’s unusual visit to Beijing, it announced on Thursday that it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon that was floating high over the northwest United States. This heightened tensions between the two countries.
Verifying the reports is in progress, the foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular briefing, adding that “unless the facts are clear, speculating and escalating the situation won’t help to effectively settle it. China, a responsible nation, always complies fully with international law. We don’t intend to trespass on the soil or airspace of any sovereign nation, she declared. She continued, We hope that both parties will approach (the matter) with mutual calm and wisdom.
According to a senior US defense official, shooting the balloon down was discussed, but it was judged that doing so would put too many people on the ground in danger. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, continued, Clearly, the objective of this balloon is for surveillance.
The official stated that although the balloon had passed close to important airfields and underground silos housing nuclear weapons, they did not consider it to be a particularly serious intelligence threat. The finding occurs only days before US Secretary of State Blinken is anticipated to visit China, with reducing heightened tensions between the two superpowers high on the agenda. Mao stated that she had no information to give regarding Blinken’s visit at the briefing.
