The Government of China has urged the United States authorities this Friday to remain calm and not “speculate” about the possible origin of the spy balloon detected in recent days in various 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 the last few hours from the United States and Canada, but has first argued that the Asian giant in no way aspires to violate the airspace of any other country.
“Speculations are useless until the facts are clear,” Mao said, in a first official reaction from the Chinese government reported by the official media.
In fact, the spokeswoman has defined China as “a responsible country”, so she hopes that “other relevant parties” remain calm while waiting to advance in the investigations, reports the Bloomberg agency. The controversy comes precisely on the eve of a symbolic trip to Beijing by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
US Department of Defense spokesman Pat Ryder confirmed on Thursday the tracking in recent days of the balloon, which has flown over US continental airspace. Washington has clarified that it did not represent “a military or physical threat” and that it was flying at an altitude “well above” commercial air traffic.
For its part, the Canadian Armed Forces have indicated in a statement that “a high-altitude surveillance balloon has been detected” and that “its movements are being actively followed by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)”, a joint Washington-Ottawa organization for the air defense and control of North America.
