Diplomatic tensions that seem to be increasing. China assured on Monday February 13 that American balloons had violated its airspace more than a dozen times since the beginning of 2022, in a burning context between Beijing and Washington after the overflight in the United States of a Chinese machine. In early February, the US military shot down a Chinese balloon presented by the Pentagon as a spy balloon, intended to collect sensitive information.
The destruction of the device was strongly denounced by China, which ensures that it was a simple civil aerostat having deviated from its trajectory. Since this incident, other flying objects have been seen over Canada and the United States, before being shot down. The nature of these devices and their affiliation is not yet known. Asked about these questions, Beijing assured Monday that American balloons had violated its airspace.
"Since last year alone, American balloons have flown over (the territory of) China more than 10 times without any permission," Chinese diplomatic spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters. He did not elaborate on the incidents, urging reporters to "refer to the US side". However, he assured that these incursions had been handled by Beijing in a "responsible and professional" manner.
Washington on Monday rejected Beijing's accusations. "Any claim that the US government uses spy balloons over China is false," said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council. Beijing is trying to "damage control", she added, accusing it of "violating the sovereignty of the United States and more than 40 countries" with its "spy balloon program".
