The US military shot down on Saturday, off the coast of South Carolina, a Chinese balloon considered by the Pentagon to be a spy balloon, intended to collect sensitive information.
By AFP
IChina confirmed on Thursday that it refused a phone call from Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin after a Chinese balloon flying over the United States was destroyed, calling it an “irresponsible” act.
The US military shot down on Saturday, off the coast of South Carolina, a Chinese balloon considered by the Pentagon to be a spy balloon, intended to collect sensitive information.
USA: the intrusion of the Chinese balloon was premeditated
Beijing maintains for its part that it was a civil aerostat, mainly intended to collect meteorological data, which deviated from its trajectory. After the craft was destroyed, China declined a phone call between Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and his counterpart Wei Fenghe, Washington said.
Beijing confirmed this information on Thursday and again castigated the use of force against its ball. “This irresponsible and seriously erroneous act has not created a climate conducive to dialogue and exchanges between the two armies”, justified the Chinese Ministry of Defense in a press release. “The United States insisted on using force against a Chinese civilian airship, which seriously contravenes international practice and sets a bad precedent,” the ministry said. “China reserves the right to use all necessary means in a similar situation,” the statement added without detailing the measures envisaged.
US President Joe Biden assured that he “is not looking for conflict” with China in an interview with the PBS channel.
A Chinese spy balloon flies over the United States, the diplomatic scandal swells
