China has not answered questions as to what authorities division or firm the balloon belonged to, however denies U.S. allegations that it was a spy balloon.
BEIJING, China — China on Thursday stated U.S. accusations {that a} downed Chinese balloon was a part of an intensive surveillance program quantity to “information warfare against China.”
The Pentagon on Wednesday stated the Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast Saturday was a part of a program involving quite a few such airships that China has been working for “several years.”
At Thursday’s day by day briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning repeated China’s insistence that the massive unmanned balloon was a civilian meteorological airship that had by accident blown off beam and that the U.S. had “overreacted” by shooting it down.
“It is irresponsible,” Mao said at a daily briefing. The latest accusations “may be part of the U.S. side’s information warfare against China.”
China’s protection minister refused to take a telephone name from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to focus on the balloon concern on Saturday, the Pentagon stated, and China has not answered questions as to what authorities division or firm the balloon belonged to, or the way it deliberate to observe up on a pledge to take additional motion over the matter.
U.S. officers have dismissed China’s claims and agents from the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are cataloguing debris recovered from the ocean and transporting it for additional processing.
When comparable balloons handed over U.S. territory on 4 events through the Trump and Biden administrations, the U.S. didn’t instantly determine them as Chinese surveillance balloons, stated Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.
But he stated “subsequent intelligence analysis” allowed the U.S. to affirm they had been a part of a Chinese spying effort and be taught “a lot more” about this system.
“I can guarantee you this was not for civilian functions … We are 100% clear about that,” Ryder stated.
Top administration officers had been briefing members of Congress on the Chinese balloon surveillance program in labeled classes on Wednesday and Thursday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a visit to Beijing deliberate for this week within the wake of the incident, dealing a setback to efforts at arresting an additional deterioration of bilateral relations which have spiraled to their lowest stage in many years.
He stated the U.S. has briefed dozens of nations on this system, which officers stated has been lively over 5 continents.
“The United States was not the only target,” he stated at a news convention with visiting NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.
Blinken stated he and Stoltenberg had spoken in regards to the “systemic and tactical challenges” that China poses to the alliance and the significance of combatting them.
With China’s tone sharpening over the balloon incident, it wasn’t clear when Blinken’s go to could be rescheduled.
Despite that, China’s Commerce Ministry stated Thursday it welcomed a proposed go to by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, saying, “It’s essential for each side to preserve regular communication.”
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