BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Tuesday it would “resolutely defend its legitimate rights and interests” in the United States launch of an alleged Chinese spy balloon as relations between the two countries continue to sour.
The balloon prompted Secretary of State Anthony Brinken to cancel a much-anticipated visit to Beijing this week that had raised faint hopes of improved relations.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning reiterated on Tuesday that the “unmanned airship” posed no threat and accidentally entered US airspace.
Mao Zedong again criticized the US for overreacting instead of acting “calm and professional”, causing a balloon to crash violently in the Atlantic Ocean just off the US coast on Saturday.
When asked if China wanted the debris returned, she repeated that the balloons “belong to China.”
“The balloon does not belong to the United States. The Chinese government will continue to resolutely defend its legitimate rights and interests,” Mao said at daily briefings, without elaborating further. Beijing’s stance has stiffened considerably after Friday’s surprisingly calm initial reaction.
Subsequent comments were firmer, in the same tone used to confront the United States over questions from Taiwan about trade, technology restrictions and China’s claims to the South China Sea. It said it had filed a formal complaint with Washington, accusing Washington of “clear overreaction and a gross violation of the spirit of international law and practice.”
Recent developments have revealed what many hoped would be a manageable economic, political and military race, but a very fragile one.
Tensions between the United States and China have caused deep concern for Washington and many of his allies. They worry that blatant conflict could have a huge negative impact on the global economy, especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
From Japan to Costa Rica, balloons have been sighted over countries suspected or confirmed to be Chinese. Taiwanese media have reported sightings of mysterious white balloons over the island at least three times in the past two years.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and must seize control by force if necessary. This is of particular concern since we are sending it across the midline of the strait.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense has never explicitly linked balloons to China. But the recent excitement over Chinese balloons in the United States has put these mysterious sightings back in the spotlight.
The size of the Chinese-made balloon in the United States and the equipment attached to it led to intense speculation as to its purpose. Along with Washington, most security experts dismissed Beijing’s claims that the balloons were for weather observation, not spying.
While China has softened the aggressive tone of its diplomacy in recent months, it “continues to pursue these broader, longer-term strategic challenges at the forefront of economic, technological and security,” the defence ministry said. Institute researcher Colin Ko Swee Leen said. Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
