China says balloon was no threat to U.S. national security
"It didn't pose any threat to any person or to the national security of the US," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told journalists in Beijing on Tuesday.
- Asia
- DPA
- Published Date: 01:30 | 07 February 2023
- Modified Date: 01:36 | 07 February 2023
China has stepped up its criticism of the United States for shooting down a suspected spy balloon, after a similar balloon was spotted in Costa Rican airspace.
"It didn't pose any threat to any person or to the national security of the US," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told journalists in Beijing on Tuesday.
The U.S. should handle such incidents "in a calm and professional manner" without using force, she said. But they had decided otherwise, which was a "clear overreaction," she added.
In response to questions about whether China would demand the return of the balloon, the spokesperson only said that it did not belong to the US.
The Beijing government would uphold China's legitimate interests and rights, Mao Ning said, without giving details.
The U.S. is currently recovering the debris of the balloon from the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina, to gain more information about the mission from the equipment on board.
U.S. National Security Council communications director John Kirby, responding to a question in Washington, said he was not aware of intentions or plans to return the balloon.
Beijing's Foreign Ministry spokesperson repeated the Chinese argument that it was a civilian balloon that had been blown off course "by force majeure" and had inadvertently entered U.S. airspace.
The spokesperson would not comment further on the other balloon that was sighted over Costa Rica, as reported on Monday by the Central American country's Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, the ministry cited the Chinese Embassy in San Jose as saying it regretted the incident and that the device's purpose was exclusively scientific, mostly meteorological.
The embassy also said that the balloon was not a threat to any country and that it ended up over Costa Rica by mistake due to weather conditions and limited self-direction capacity, the ministry said in a statement.
It wasn't initially clear whether the airborne device was the same as the one spotted over Colombia on Friday.
"It didn't pose any threat to any person or to the national security of the US," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told journalists in Beijing on Tuesday.
The U.S. should handle such incidents "in a calm and professional manner" without using force, she said. But they had decided otherwise, which was a "clear overreaction," she added.
In response to questions about whether China would demand the return of the balloon, the spokesperson only said that it did not belong to the US.
The Beijing government would uphold China's legitimate interests and rights, Mao Ning said, without giving details.
The U.S. is currently recovering the debris of the balloon from the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina, to gain more information about the mission from the equipment on board.
U.S. National Security Council communications director John Kirby, responding to a question in Washington, said he was not aware of intentions or plans to return the balloon.
Beijing's Foreign Ministry spokesperson repeated the Chinese argument that it was a civilian balloon that had been blown off course "by force majeure" and had inadvertently entered U.S. airspace.
The spokesperson would not comment further on the other balloon that was sighted over Costa Rica, as reported on Monday by the Central American country's Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, the ministry cited the Chinese Embassy in San Jose as saying it regretted the incident and that the device's purpose was exclusively scientific, mostly meteorological.
The embassy also said that the balloon was not a threat to any country and that it ended up over Costa Rica by mistake due to weather conditions and limited self-direction capacity, the ministry said in a statement.
It wasn't initially clear whether the airborne device was the same as the one spotted over Colombia on Friday.
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