China says more than 10 high-altitude US balloons flew in its airspace in past year
China on Monday said that more than 10 high-altitude balloons from the United States flew into its airspace since the start of last year, an allegation that comes after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon and argued Beijing has operated more of the aircraft throughout the world.
“It is also common for U.S. balloons to illegally enter the airspace of other countries. Since last year, the U.S.’s high-altitude balloons have undergone more than 10 illegal flights into Chinese airspace without the approval of the relevant Chinese departments,” said China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a briefing in Beijing.
Wang didn’t disclose any additional details about the alleged balloons and didn’t specify whether they were linked to the U.S. government. It’s not clear what Beijing did with any balloons identified.
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson pushed back on Beijing’s claim in a Monday morning tweet, labeling it “false.”
“It is China that has a high-altitude surveillance balloon program for intelligence collection, that it has used to violate the sovereignty of the US and over 40 countries across 5 continents,” Watson said.
……..
- Discussion
-
China says more than 10 high-altitude US balloons flew in its airspace in past year https://t.co/5dx0Cu7RjG pic.twitter.com/Pn3laDaG7m
— The Hill (@thehill) February 13, 2023
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.