The Chinese government on Friday urged U.S. authorities to remain calm and not to «speculate» about the possible origin of the spy balloon detected in recent days in several parts of North America «until the facts are clear».
A spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, said at a press conference that Beijing is aware of the accusations made in recent hours from the United States and Canada, but said at the outset that the Asian giant in no case aims to violate the airspace of any other country.
«Speculation is useless until the facts are clear», said Mao, in a first official reaction of the Chinese government, reported by the official media.
In fact, the spokeswoman defined China as «a responsible country», so she expects «other relevant parties» to remain calm while waiting for the investigations to progress, reports Bloomberg agency. The controversy comes precisely on the eve of a symbolic trip to Beijing by the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
U.S. Defense Department spokesman Pat Ryder confirmed Thursday the tracking in recent days of the balloon, which has flown over continental U.S. airspace. Washington has clarified that it posed «no military or physical threat» and was flying at an altitude «well above» commercial air traffic.
For its part, the Canadian Armed Forces have indicated in a statement that «a surveillance balloon has been detected at high altitude» and that «its movements are being actively tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)», a joint organization of Washington and Ottawa for the defense and air control of North America.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
