The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution denouncing Beijing’s claims about a reconnaissance spy balloon flying across North America. After this, China claimed that the United States was deceiving the world.
Declaration From China
On Friday, at a daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning stated, “China is very displeased with this and resolutely opposes it,” accusing American politicians of “hyping up” the balloon for “clearly political manipulation.”
The firm declaration was made the day after Republicans and Democrats joined forces in a 419-0 vote to denounce Beijing for its “brazen infringement” of American sovereignty and more.
While defense authorities said they damaged the aircraft’s spying capabilities, House Republicans attacked the Biden presidency for not responding faster to bring down the aircraft as it circled between South Carolina and Montana.
The Chinese authorities said the item was a citizen weather balloon that veered off course after the balloon was discovered, and images of it were extensively circulated online.
China is expressing dissatisfaction and protest against the U.S. use of force against ‘civilian aircraft’.
China is like our gov, they think Americans are stupid. pic.twitter.com/WwM0EOWEuW
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) February 5, 2023
The People’s Liberation Army is in charge of more than 40 countries.
According to the United States, the balloon is connected to a significant monitoring operation conducted by the Chinese military. According to the U.S., similar balloons have traveled across five continents.
US Says China Balloon Could Collect Intelligence Signals
China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian aircraft and threatened repercussions. https://t.co/bqIa0Rba6z pic.twitter.com/hV2bTJuJEW— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) February 10, 2023
The producer of the balloons, according to a State Department representative, “has direct contact with China’s military and is an authorized vendor” of the military.
In 2021, state-owned military contractor China Electronics Technology Group noted its JY400 balloon might be equipped with radar gear and other spying/communication-interfering devices.
Just before the Air Force shot it off the coast of the Carolinas, the balloon traveled the whole length of the United States. This happened at an altitude of between 60,000 and 80,000 feet, passing over or relatively close to a number of American military installations.
A single A9X missile fired by an F-22 on Saturday afternoon off the coast of South Carolina’s territorial seas took down the balloon. The aircraft was sent to the FBI’s research facility in Quantico, Virginia.
Relations
China has stepped up its criticism of the United States after initially voicing “regret” over the incident.
According to ministry spokeswoman Tan Kefei, the U.S. “seriously breached international conventions and created a harmful precedent.”
China “reserves the right to adopt appropriate tools to cope with such situations,” Tan added.
Beijing stated the U.S. “reacted badly” in its choice to shoot down the aircraft. It said the U.S. has an information warfare campaign against China, including the U.S. assertion that the plane was being used for spying.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to Beijing to help normalize bilateral ties after the US discovered the spy aircraft.
Trade disputes, human rights abuses, China’s threats towards Taiwan, and the Chinese military’s more belligerent behavior in the South China Sea have all contributed to the deterioration of the relationship.
China and the United States continue to disagree about the balloon’s characteristics.
This article appeared in The Political Globe and has been published here with permission.
