The Chinese government confirmed Monday that the balloon detected in Latin America, similar to the device shot down Saturday by U.S. forces over the Atlantic Ocean, is also theirs, but again insisted that it has only «civilian purposes».
This second balloon would have entered «by mistake» in the airspace of several countries, including Colombia, pushed by weather conditions, explained the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, in statements to the media.
China, she insisted, respects international law and «does not represent any threat to any country». However, Mao avoided answering specific questions on the exact reasons for the loss of control of balloons in such a short period of time: «I am not an expert».
What the spokeswoman has insisted on is to label as «unacceptable and irresponsible» the decision taken by the U.S. authorities against what Beijing considers an «isolated incident», according to statements reported by the Bloomberg agency.
The Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Xie Feng, has conveyed the government’s displeasure to the U.S. Embassy in China. China «firmly and forcefully» opposes the shoot-down and «reserves the right to take further measures in response», still to be clarified, reports the official CGTN channel.
The U.S. Department of Defense reported Friday night the presence of a second Chinese balloon over Latin America and the Colombian Air Force confirmed the sighting over the weekend. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, joined the Chinese thesis and condemned the downing of the first balloon.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
