A spy balloon that was sighted over Latin America on Friday is from China, the Chinese government has acknowledged, but it insists it is only for civilian use.
According to Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, the plane veered off track after being blown off course.
Chinese Spy Balloon
In response to claims that it was being used for surveillance, military jets shot down an identical balloon in US airspace on Saturday. China has refuted claims that it was spying, claiming that it was merely monitoring the weather.
A diplomatic dispute between Washington and Beijing has resulted from the event. US military authorities reported that a second Chinese balloon had been sighted over Latin America on Friday, just before fighter aircraft shot the balloon down over the weekend.
China said that an aircraft had unintentionally flown into the airspace over the Americas and the Caribbean on Monday. The second balloon deviated substantially from its intended course, Mao told reporters, noting the aircraft’s limited maneuverability and the weather.
She noted that the unmanned aircraft in question, which was imported from China, is of a civilian nature and is utilized for flying experiments.
China is a responsible nation that has always adhered to international law strictly in order to communicate with and deal with all parties involved, without creating a danger to any nation.
The Colombian air force reported over the weekend that an item with features resembling a balloon had been spotted on February 3 in the nation’s airspace at a height of more than 55,000 feet.
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US Urges To Recover Spy Balloon For Probe
Saturday’s shot-down balloon off the coast of South Carolina. US President Joe Biden approved the plan to bring down the balloon but waited until it was over water so as not to endanger people on the ground.
The United States suspects the balloon was deployed to spy on vital military facilities.
The former chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm Mike Mullen, refuted China’s claim that it may have been blown off course, stating that it is maneuverable due to its propellers.
The incident has strained relations between China and the United States, with the Pentagon labeling it an unacceptable violation of China’s sovereignty.
As a result of the dispute, Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China was canceled. Concerning the event, China has filed a formal complaint with the US embassy in Beijing.
