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China urges restraint as U.S. military searches for balloon remnants

Published 02/05/2023, 10:19 PM
Updated 02/06/2023, 10:56 AM
© Reuters. A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floats off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023.  REUTERS/Randall Hill

© Reuters. A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floats off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall Hill

By Yew Lun Tian and David Lawder

BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Beijing on Monday urged Washington to show restraint as the U.S. military searched for remnants of what it believes was a Chinese surveillance balloon it shot down over the Atlantic but which China says was a civilian craft that accidentally drifted astray.

The balloon drama has further strained tense relations, prompting Washington to cancel a planned visit over the weekend to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

A U.S. fighter jet shot down the balloon off South Carolina on Saturday after the military had tracked its path across the continental United States, a response China described as an "obvious overreaction".

China has repeatedly said the balloon was intended for scientific purposes and had blown off course.

"China firmly opposes and strongly protests against this," Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng said in remarks to the U.S. embassy in Beijing posted on the ministry's website.

The U.S. Navy was working to recover the balloon and its payload and the Coast Guard was providing security for the operation, General Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, said on Sunday.

A successful recovery could potentially give the United States insight into China's spying capabilities, though U.S. officials have downplayed the balloon's impact on national security.

On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China had found out its balloon had drifted over the United States after being notified by it.

"The unintended entry of this airship (into the U.S.) is entirely an isolated, accidental incident. It tests the sincerity the U.S. has in improving and stabilising bilateral relations and the way it handles crisis," she said.

"We hope the U.S. will work with China to properly handle our differences, avoid miscalculation and misunderstanding and harming our mutual trust," she said.

Mao said another balloon, spotted over Latin America, was an unmanned civilian airship on a test flight that "severely deviated and unintendedly entered the space above Latin America because it was affected by the weather and because it has limited self-steering capability".

On Sunday, Colombia's military said it sighted an airborne object similar to a balloon after the Pentagon said on Friday that another Chinese balloon was flying over Latin America.

SENSITIVE TIME

The balloon incident comes as the United States and China have sought to bolster communications and begin to mend ties that had been under severe strain in recent years over tensions on several fronts, including U.S. efforts to block Chinese access to key cutting-edge technologies.

China has warned of "serious repercussions" and said it will use the necessary means to deal with "similar situations", without elaborating, although some analysts said they expect any response to be finely calibrated to prevent making bilateral ties even worse.

Brokerage ING said in a Monday note that the incident could exacerbate the "tech war" and would have a negative near-term impact on China's yuan currency.

"Both sides will likely impose more export bans on technology in different industries. This is a new threat to supply chain disruption, although the risk of logistical disruption from COVID restrictions has now disappeared," it said.

© Reuters. A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floats off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023.  REUTERS/Randall Hill

"This new risk is more of a long-term risk than an imminent one," ING said.

The yuan rebounded on Monday after falling to a low of 6.8077 against the dollar in early trade, its weakest level in nearly a month.

Latest comments

A suspicious person could speculate it is a means for a wide spread biological attack?
We should classify China as a terrorist nation
Yes such a war mongering country. You know after they started all of those wars in Iraq after discovering they had WMD (aka faked US/ UK intel to justify war and no WMD were ever found). Afghanistan (Bin Laden was actually in Pakistan, he is Saudi and most of the 911 attackers were from Saudi Arabia)....Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, Grenada, Bolivia, Panama, Haiti, Libya, Syria, Lebanon.... etc.... Plus all of those dictators they have propped up in South America and Africa in the 1960s to the present day. Shocking!!Tip I am being sarcastic and I could talk for hours how the USA is far more a terrorist state hiding behind its 'protecting democracy' (as long as by democracy - you mean you have a puppet government installed which does anything the US politicians want / that country has oil).
Just a test of Biden's stones, before they hit Taiwan. It appears a cowardly response with delayed reaction will be in order. No different than the 31 Abrams tanks being sent to Ukraine. By the time they get there next year, Ukraine will be obliterated.
Put down the meth pipe ronnie
I hope you're right about Ukraine. The tanks shouldn't be sent in the first place. The US has no business there, and private Americans ha e no interests in Ukraine. It's just corrupt officials using taxpayer dollars to protect the corrupt officials interests.
“I hope you’re right about Ukraine.” What a sick sick person. You really would rather that Ukraine is a smoking crater in the ground rather than a trillion dollars be sent to save those people?
China is turning into a Rogue Nation! Covid 19 has killed millions and they are 100% responsible. South China Sea illegal occupation, Tiawan incursion now this!
I agree they're responsible for the outbreak, but the US's corrupt officials at minimum helped fund it with taxpayer dollars. People need to start going to prison for this attack. Including Americans like Fuacci.
Once again China walks all over the Biden administration.
So ashamed the whole nation panic for a harmless balloon. We have spy plans flying all over the world every day. But people in those nations just watching them flying over like an air show. When can we be less coward.
It’s not a panic, it’s shame and embarrassment that the Biden administration let this happen.
harmless???? ignorant comment james.. seriously.
One is miss , two is intentional !!
If that baloon drifted isnt chinese authorities have communication wirh countries to say this has happened? And if they were just doing research why use baloon for chinese air space only ? And why is there a second one now above columbia? Why don’t chinese govt give access to data collected by this so called civilian aircraft to usa to save their face? And first they regret and now they are offensive. Wow.
This is probably the reason china wanted a spark from usa so it can invade taiwan and usa presented this spark on a platter.
Two Words go hand in hand JOE & HUNTER big guy wink wink
trump and chinese bank account, wink wink
Tell me you have mental illness without telling me. Hint: the meth pipe isnt helping your delusions
More evidence of Bid.n corruption daily, all while Trump is being cleared of all accusations. Accusations proved to be hoaxes
“I hate china” says the american from his iPhone that was made in China
My phone says USA
Who is saying "I hate China," other than your fevered imagination?
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