China accused the United States on Sunday of “exaggerating and violating international practices” with the decision to shoot down a Chinese balloon that had been flying over North American territory for several days.
“China expresses strong dissatisfaction and protests against the use of force by the United States,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that it “reserves the right” to retaliate.
The Chinese government added that it “had clearly asked the United States to handle the situation in a proper, calm, professional and measured manner.”
“Beijing will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the companies involved” in the incident, the ministry said.
First seen on Tuesday, the Chinese balloon flew over North America for several days before being shot down on Saturday by a missile launched from an F-22 fighter jet, the Pentagon said.
On Wednesday, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, had given orders to shoot down the balloon “as soon as possible”, but the Pentagon wanted to wait for the “safest place to do it” to avoid damage on the ground due to possible falling debris. .
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the operation a “deliberate and lawful action” in response to an “unacceptable violation of the country’s sovereignty” by China.
The case increased tensions between Washington and Beijing, resulting in the cancellation of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to Beijing. Scheduled for Friday, this trip was intended to facilitate bilateral relations.
After some hesitation, Beijing admitted that the device was Chinese, but claimed it was a balloon designed to collect weather data.
The Chinese government reiterated that it had repeatedly informed the US side that the device was “civilian in nature and entered the United States by force majeure, purely by accident.”
The balloon was shot down on Saturday night, already over the Atlantic Ocean, after Biden authorized the operation, carried out in coordination with the Government of Canada, whose territory the device flew over before entering the United States.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday that he supported the decision to “take down China’s surveillance balloon that violated US and Canadian airspace and international law,” he said in a message posted on Twitter. .
Canada “worked closely with its US counterparts on this decision and fully supports the steps taken,” Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said.
“The bi-national organization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracked and analyzed the trajectory and actions of the high-altitude surveillance balloon,” Anand added.
Source: TSF
