For several days, the Pentagon said it was monitoring a Chinese balloon suspected of espionage over American territory. Despite these regrets, Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his visit to China scheduled for Sunday and Monday.
The Chinese authorities have stated that they regret the balloon’s entry into US airspace. Chinese diplomacy recognizes that it is a Chinese balloon, and in this case a ” civilian airship without a pilot intended to carry out primarily meteorological research “.
The statement from the Foreign Ministry spokesperson also explains that the craft would have entered United States airspace after deviating from its path due to the prevailing westerly winds which circulate at high altitude. , reports our correspondent in Beijing, Stephane Lagarde.
It would therefore be, according to Beijing, a ” case of force majeure “. Terms that exempt the infringer from part of their liability in the event of an unforeseen event, such as a natural disaster. “ The Chinese side will continue to communicate with the US side and properly handle this unexpected situation. “, adds the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after having earlier in the day in front of the press, indicated that he carried out checks and called not to “escalate the affair”.
” A clear violation of our sovereignty »
The incident occurred three days before Antony Blinken’s visit to China, where the American secretary of state was to pick up the pieces of a very deteriorated Sino-American relationship. Despite the ” regret from the Chinese authorities, the visit was cancelled. “ The presence of this balloon is a clear violation of our sovereignty and of international law. “, explained an American official.
” We have communicated very clearly to our Chinese counterparts that this is unacceptable and irresponsible “, he added. All while specifying that the Biden administration had estimated that “ it just wasn’t the right time for the secretary of state to go there now “. The US Secretary of State must reschedule this trip as soon as the ” conditions will be met “.
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