Beijing accuses US of “clearly overreacting and seriously violating international practice”
Beijing on Sunday blasted the Pentagon’s decision to shoot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon noticed flying over North America, accusing the USA of “truly overreacting and critically violating global practice”.
“China expresses robust dissatisfaction and protests in opposition to using force with the aid of the US to assault the unmanned civilian airship,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it would “reserve the right to make further vital responses”.
The craft spent several days flying over North America, ratcheting up tensions among Washington and Beijing, before it changed into added down by a missile shot from an F-22 jet on Saturday, Pentagon officials said.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin referred to as the operation a “planned and lawful movement” that came in reaction to China’s “unacceptable violation of our sovereignty”.
American officials first stated on Thursday that they had been monitoring a huge Chinese “surveillance balloon” in US skies.
That led Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday to scrap an extraordinary journey to Beijing designed to include growing US-China tensions.
After initial hesitation, Beijing admitted possession of the “airship”, however said it was a weather balloon that had been blown off direction.
The Chinese overseas ministry on Sunday said it had “in reality asked that the US well manage the matter in a relaxed, professional and restricted manner”.
Beijing stated the US “insisted on using pressure, actually overreacting and significantly violating global practice”.
“China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and pastimes of applicable companies and reserve the proper to make similarly important responses,” the ministry said in its statement.
