The entry of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship into the US airspace is purely an unintended, unexpected and isolated event caused by force majeure. China has repeatedly communicated this to the US side, yet the US overreacted by abusing the use of force and escalating the situation. It also used the incident as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions over Chinese companies and institutions. China is strongly opposed to this and will take countermeasures in accordance with law against relevant US entities that have undermined China’s sovereignty and security to firmly safeguard China’s sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests.
NBC: China has stated that the Chinese airship shot down by the US had been accidentally blown off course. Could you clarify what then was the intended course, flight path or destination of the downed balloon?
Wang Wenbin: The entry of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship into the US airspace is purely an unintended, unexpected and isolated event caused by force majeure. The facts are clear and shall not be distorted or misrepresented. Despite that, the US still decided to use force against the civilian airship even as it was about to leave US airspace. This is a clear overreaction that seriously contravenes the spirit of international law and customary international practice. What the US did has had a grave impact on the efforts and progress made by China and the US in stabilizing bilateral relations since the leaders’ meeting in Bali. We are firmly opposed to what the US has done and urge the US not to take further actions that could undermine China’s interests or escalate tensions.
Phoenix TV: It was reported that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently told reporters that “obviously there is some sort of pattern” in the four flying objects shot down over the US and Canada in the past week. What is your response?
Wang Wenbin: Other than the US overreaction, we don’t see any pattern here.
AFP: Yesterday you said that US balloons have illegally flown over China’s airspace more than ten times at least since May last year. How did China deal with these US balloons?
Wang Wenbin: Since May last year, the US has released a large number of high-altitude balloons from its territory, which have continuously circled the globe and illegally flown over China’s airspace, including Xinjiang and Tibet, more than ten times at least without the approval of relevant Chinese authorities.
With regard to the unintended entry of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship into the US airspace caused by force majeure, China has repeatedly communicated it to the US side. The US, however, says nothing about the illegal flight of its balloons over China’s airspace without China’s approval, and even accuses China of spreading disinformation. The US cited the unintended entry of a Chinese unmanned airship into its airspace as a violation of its sovereignty, then how does it explain the illegal overflight of its balloons through China’s airspace? China has handled the illegal flight of US balloons through our airspace in a calm and professional manner. By contrast, the US overreacted to the unintended entry of a Chinese civilian airship into its airspace caused by force majeure.
The US needs to give an explanation to China and the international community, reflect on its behavior, stop smearing and attacking China and stop misleading the US public and the international community. China reserves the right to further respond if necessary.
Kyodo News: Japan’s Defence Ministry said in a statement yesterday that the Japanese government strongly suspects that the three unidentified flying objects previously spotted in its airspace are Chinese surveillance balloons. What’s your response?
Wang Wenbin: China is a responsible country. We always act in strict compliance with international law and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. The Japanese side, without any solid evidence, has made unfounded allegations to smear and attack China. We are firmly opposed to this.
China has repeatedly shared information on the unintended entry of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship into US airspace, Japan should adopt an objective and just position, view this unexpected incident caused by force majeure in the right way, and stop following the US’s suit in dramatizing it.
Bloomberg: According to reports, the US tracked the balloon that it eventually shot down as it lifted off from Hainan. It appeared to be headed toward Guam, and then took an unexpected turn, putting it on a new path. And analysts are now examining the possibility that China didn’t intend to fly the aircraft over the continental US. How does the foreign ministry respond to that?
Wang Wenbin: I’ve covered this question. I want to stress once again that the unintended entry into US airspace of the Chinese civilian unmanned airship was entirely caused by force majeure. The US side should not have overreacted.
Bloomberg: Chinese diplomats, state media outlets and social media influences appear to be making efforts to exaggerate and misrepresent a chemical leak in the US and a report that the US military blew up the Nord Stream pipeline. All of this seems to be in response to questions about the balloon issue. How does the foreign ministry respond to that?
Wang Wenbin: When you said that China seems to be “exaggerating and misrepresenting” those events, it actually reflects the long-held bias among some media against China.
Immediately after the explosions of the Nord Stream pipelines, we saw extensive coverage in Western media with one-sided speculations on who was “responsible” for the sabotage. What we see now, however, is that these media, hailed as free, professional and impartial, have fallen silent over Seymour Hersh’s investigative report. Doesn’t this call for concern and reflection?
Since the train derailment caused the chemical leak in the US, many American people have questioned the US government and media for downplaying the accident. At public events, US officials described the balloon as a challenge to the US, yet said nothing about this serious chemical leak accident. On social media, many Americans are asking the US government: what is it hiding?
People have sharp eyes. They have already seen through the US government’s calculations in overreacting to and dramatizing the unexpected incident of the civilian airship. They are fully aware who exactly is trying to deflect public attention.
