Beijing:
China said on Friday that it was working to verify the facts surrounding US claims that Beijing had released spy balloons over its territory, warning against “hype” about the issue. this topic.
The Pentagon on Thursday said it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon high above the northwestern United States, sparking tensions between the two countries just days before the US military’s rare visit to Beijing. Top US diplomat Antony Blinken.
“Verification is underway” of the reports, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told a regular news conference, adding that “until the facts are clear, conjecture and Inflating the problem won’t help solve the problem properly.”
“China is a responsible country and always strictly abides by international law. We have no intention of infringing upon the territory or airspace of any sovereign country,” she said.
“(We) hope that both sides will handle (the situation) with each other’s calm and caution,” she added.
A senior US defense official told reporters on Thursday that shooting down the balloon had been considered, but they had decided doing so would endanger too many people on the ground.
“Clearly, the purpose of this balloon is for surveillance,” added the unnamed official.
The official said the balloon flew over areas with sensitive air bases and nuclear missiles in underground bunkers, but the Pentagon does not believe it constitutes an intelligence threat. especially dangerous.
The discovery comes just days before US Secretary of State Blinken’s scheduled visit to China, with managing rising tensions between the two powers high on the agenda.
At the press conference, Mao said she had no information to share about Blinken’s visit.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the aggregate feed.)
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