The Chinese government said Monday that the United States, by shooting down the Chinese balloon flying over its territory, “seriously affected and damaged” relations between the two countries.
“The actions of the United States have seriously affected and damaged the efforts and progress of both sides to stabilize relations between China and the United States since the Bali meeting” between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in November, the vice minister said in a statement. of Foreign Relations, Xie. Feng.
The Chinese government is “closely monitoring the development of the situation”
The US military shot down on Saturday, off the coast of South Carolina, in the southeast of the country, this Chinese balloon considered by the Pentagon as a spy balloon, intended to collect sensitive information.
The incident sparked a diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Washington with the last-minute cancellation of a visit to China by US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken.
Beijing, which maintains for its part that it was a civilian plane, accused the United States of having “overreacted” with the use of force. The Chinese government is “closely monitoring the development of the situation” and “reserves the right to take necessary measures,” the ministry said on Monday.
Source: BFM TV
