Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out at the United States at the security conference in Munich on Saturday. Yi denounced the US’s downing of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, calling the response “absurd and hysterical.” “There are many balloons in the sky, from different countries. Do you want to shoot them all? This shows that America is not strong.” According to Yi, the flying object was nothing more than an off-course “civil airship.”
The Chinese minister called the downing an “abuse of force” and a “violation of international rules”, referring to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. “We have asked the US to handle this situation calmly and professionally,” Yi said. “Unfortunately, the US ignores these facts and uses advanced fighter jets to shoot down a balloon with their missiles. We urge the US not to do such absurd things to divert attention from its domestic problems.”
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Diplomatic tensions
The US had been monitoring the balloon for several days and said it suspected it was a spy balloon from China. On February 4, the object was shot out of the sky by a US fighter jet over the Atlantic Ocean. Since then, three other flying objects have been shot down over North America, but they were not spy balloons, according to the US.
The incident has sparked diplomatic tension between the two countries; for example, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his planned visit to Beijing and China spoke of an American “overreaction”. But as the countries lash out at each other, both US and Chinese officials are attending the Munich conference. It is not yet clear whether Wang will talk to the US officials present. That would be the first meeting between the major powers since the start of the conflict.
US President Joe Biden said on Friday “not excusable” for bringing down the balloon. According to Biden, the spy balloon was headed for the important military bases of Hawaii and Guam. The president said he would soon speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping about the incident. “We are not looking for a new Cold War.”
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