China has accused the United States of sending high-altitude balloons into its airspace without authorization on at least ten separate occasions over the past year. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the allegation on Monday and urged the US to “reflect on its behavior and change course rather than attacking others and stoking confrontation.”
The accusation follows increased US scrutiny of Chinese activities in the air. On February 4, the US military shot down a Chinese-owned balloon that had entered US airspace, leading to speculation about the purpose of the balloon and whether it had been deliberately sent into US territory.
The National Security Council spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, denied China’s allegations and claimed that the US government does not operate surveillance balloons over China. Instead, she alleged that China has a high-altitude surveillance balloon program for intelligence collection, which it has used to violate the sovereignty of the US and over 40 countries across five continents.
Following the US military’s downing of the Chinese-owned balloon, the US has reportedly shot down three other unidentified objects in the air. These incidents have raised concerns worldwide, with the UK Prime Minister stating that the UK has not observed any balloons over its airspace, but there are jets on constant standby to monitor and protect the UK’s airspace.
The coverage of these incidents has sparked international legal debate over whether the Chinese balloon violated US airspace and international law or if it was an accidental flyover, as China claims. Regardless, the events have alerted countries worldwide of possible incursions into their airspace.
The international legal community will likely continue to debate the legality of these incidents and whether they represent a violation of national sovereignty or an accidental breach of airspace. The world watches and waits as tensions between these two global superpowers continue to mount.
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China alleges US flew high-altitude balloons into country over 10 times