China criticizes US balloon shooting and says it will use “necessary means” in similar situations

China says it “reserves the right” to deal with “similar situations” following the United States’ decision to shoot down its high-altitude balloon.

“The US used force to attack our unmanned civilian airship, which is an obvious overreaction. We express solemn protest against this action from the US side,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said in a statement Sunday afternoon local time.

China “reserves the right to use whatever means necessary to deal with similar situations,” he added.

On Sunday (5), China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the United States of “exaggerating” and “seriously violating international practice” after American military fighter jets shot down the balloon on Saturday (4) over the Atlantic Ocean in a mission that President Joe Biden hailed it as a success.

The United States believes the balloon was involved in espionage, but China has refuted this, insisting it was a civilian research vessel blown off course.

“The Chinese side has repeatedly informed the US side after verification that the airship is for civilian use and has entered the US due to force. majeure – was completely an accident,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Strength majeure” is a legal term meaning “force majeure”. It exempts a party from liability if an unforeseen event, such as a natural disaster, prevents it from fulfilling its contractual obligations.

“China has clearly asked the US to handle this in a calm, professional and restrained manner. A spokesperson for the US Department of Defense also stated that the balloon will not pose a military or personal threat to ground personnel,” the ministry’s statement continued.

“China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of relevant enterprises, reserving the right to take other necessary measures,” the foreign ministry added.

Chinese state media announced on Saturday that the head of the country’s meteorological service had been relieved of his duties, in a move seen by some analysts as an attempt to bolster Beijing’s position that the high-altitude balloon was mainly civilian in nature. for meteorological purposes.

Zhuang Guotai was the head of the China Meteorological Administration until Friday, but his departure was not unexpected.

In late January, Zhuang was elected head of the Gansu Western Province People’s Political Consultative Committee, the provincial political advisory body.

US officials have rejected China’s repeated claims that the downed balloon was simply for civilian use and had entered US airspace by “accident”.

“This was a People’s Republic of China (PRC) surveillance balloon. This surveillance balloon purposely crossed the United States and Canada and we are confident that it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites,” said a senior US government official.

The official said a second balloon, sighted over Central and South America, was “another PRC surveillance balloon” and had similar technical characteristics to the one that flew over the US.

“Both balloons also carry surveillance equipment that is not usually associated with standard meteorological activities or civilian research,” the official said.

“Gathering capsule equipment and solar panels located on the metal truss suspended below the balloon are a prominent feature of both balloons.”

Pentagon officials said earlier this week that the balloon posed no “military or physical” threat.

The US decided not to shoot down the balloon while it remained over land due to the risk of debris injuring a civilian, and instead waited until it was over the ocean.

The US military will now focus on debris recovery efforts.

The incident is the latest in a series of spying cases and has fueled a diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Washington.

Taiwan weighs

Meanwhile, Taiwanese authorities said on Sunday that the Chinese balloon incident “should not be tolerated by the civilized international community”.

The autonomous island, which China claims as part of its territory despite never having controlled it, has experience of similar balloons flying over its territory.

“Such actions by the Chinese Communist Party government violate international law, violate other countries’ airspace and violate their sovereignty,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, calling on China’s government to “immediately cease conduct of this kind.” the kind that invade other countries and cause regional instability”.

Balloons believed to be used for “weather observations” flew over the island in September 2021 and in February 2022, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.

But it remains unclear whether these balloons were the same type as the one shot down by US fighter jets on Saturday.