China has accused the United States of lying to the world after the House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution condemning Beijing’s claims about a surveillance spy balloon flying over North America.
“China is strongly dissatisfied with this and strongly opposes it,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a daily briefing on Friday, accusing US lawmakers of “glowing” the balloon for “purely political manipulation.”
The stern statement came a day after Republicans and Democrats combined in a 419-0 vote to condemn Beijing for a “blatant violation” of US sovereignty and efforts to “deceive the international community through false claims about its campaigns.” information gathering”.
House Republicans also criticized the Biden administration for not taking action sooner to bring down the plane as it hovered from Montana to South Carolina, even though defense officials said they disabled its surveillance capabilities.
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Chinese defense ministry spokesman Tan Kefei attends a news conference at the headquarters of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN defense ministers meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Nov. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
After the balloon was detected and photos were widely shared online, the Chinese government claimed the object was a civilian weather balloon that had blown off course.
Beijing did not provide any additional information, including the balloon’s self-steering capabilities or its modern signal surveillance techniques that were “capable of conducting signal intelligence gathering” with multiple antennas and other equipment designed to upload sensitive information and solar panels to power them, US officials said.
The United States also said the balloon was tied to a major surveillance program run by the Chinese military, which includes the use of similar aircraft in more than 40 countries under the direction of the People’s Liberation Army. Similar hot air balloons have flown over five continents, according to the United States
A State Department official said the balloon maker has “a direct relationship with the Chinese military and is an authorized supplier” to the military.
State defense contractor China Electronics Technology Group said in 2021 that radar equipment and other devices to intercept and interfere with telecommunications could be attached to its JY400 balloon.
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The balloon hovered between 60,000 and 80,000 feet above the Earth and completed its journey across the United States, traveling over or near several US military bases before the Air Force shot it down off the Carolina coast.
On Saturday afternoon, an F-22 shot down the balloon with a single A9X missile off territorial waters off the coast of South Carolina. The aircraft was sent to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
After initially expressing “regret” over the incident, China stepped up its rhetoric against the United States for what it called an “irresponsible and grossly wrong approach on the part of the United States.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea on January 30, 2023. (Lee Jin-Man – Pool/Getty Images)
After the US shot down the plane, China’s defense ministry said it rejected a call from US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as the US “didn’t create the proper atmosphere” for dialogue.
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The United States “has grossly violated international norms and set a dangerous precedent,” ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said on Thursday.
“Since this irresponsible and grossly wrong approach by the United States has not created the right atmosphere for dialogue and exchanges between the two militaries, China has not accepted the United States’ proposal for a telephone call between the two ministers of defense,” Tan continued.
In this photo provided by Chad Fish, a large balloon drifts over the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of South Carolina with a fighter jet and its contrail seen below it on Saturday, Feb. 4. (Chad Fish via AP)
Tan also said that China “reserves the right to use the necessary means to deal with similar situations.”
Beijing said the US “overreacted” in its decision to shoot down the plane and said the US claims the espionage is “part of the US information war against China”.
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A Chinese navy fleet departs for an upcoming joint China-Russia naval exercise from a military port in Zhoushan, east China’s Zhejiang province, Dec. 20, 2022. (LiLi Yun/Xinhua via Getty Images Yun/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Warships of the Chinese navy take part in a joint naval exercise, Joint Sea 2022, in the East China Sea Dec. 21, 2022. The Chinese and Russian navies kicked off a joint naval exercise, Joint Sea 2022, on Wednesday, in the East China Sea. (Li Yun/Xinhua via Getty Images)
After the United States took over the surveillance plane, Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned trip to Beijing that was meant to help stabilize bilateral relations. The relationship has become increasingly strained over trade and human rights abuses, as well as China’s threats against Taiwan and the Chinese military’s increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea.
The United States and China remain at odds over the balloon’s capabilities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
