After the Air Force shot down a surveillance balloon earlier this month, China warned on Wednesday that it will respond against the United States for allegedly endangering its sovereignty.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated at a daily press briefing that the balloon was an unmanned weather airship that was accidentally blown off course, and accused the Biden administration of overreacting by shooting it down with a missile fired from an F-22 fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina on February 4.
The United States has sanctioned six Chinese firms in response to the event, alleging that they are connected to Beijing’s global monitoring operation.
Wang stated, “The United States has abused force, overreacted, escalated the situation, and used this as an excuse to illegally sanction Chinese companies and institutions.”
“China is vehemently opposed to this and will take lawful countermeasures against US entities that undermine China’s sovereignty and security.”
Wang stated that China will “vigorously defend national sovereignty and its legitimate rights and interests.”
The official did not specify specific U.S. entities China intends to punish, nor did he provide any information regarding the planned “countermeasures.”
China disputes that the balloon was a military asset, but it has yet to disclose which government agency or corporation was responsible for its operation.
China has intensified its rhetoric against the United States, stating earlier this week that the United States has flown more than ten high-altitude balloons in its territory in the past year.
John Kirby, the national security spokesman for the White House, unequivocally disputed China’s allegations.
“Not true. Not doing it. “Absolutely untrue,” he stated in an MSNBC appearance on Monday. We do not fly hot air balloons over China.
This week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is rumored to be considering a meeting with China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The new round of mutual recriminations comes as Blinken is reportedly considering a meeting with Wang Yi.
Many had hoped that Blinken’s visit to Beijing would calm relations that had deteriorated amid tensions over trade, human rights, Taiwan, and China’s claims to the South China Sea. However, Blinken had previously postponed the trip.
Wednesday, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel added fuel to the flames by stating that the Chinese balloon’s entrance was part of a pattern of aggressive action by Beijing.
Emanuel mentioned China’s recent use of a military-grade laser on a Philippine coast guard patrol vessel, the harassment of US aircraft by Chinese warplanes, and China’s unlawful establishment of police stations in the United States, Ireland, and other nations.
Emanuel stated, “The balloon is not an isolated incident.”
If China desires to be a recognized member of the world community, the envoy continued, “then it must adhere to certain fundamental tenets. That is, you don’t create police stations in other countries oblivious to their laws, as if your laws had no limits.”
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