China has accused the United States of flying over 10 high-altitude balloons into its airspace without permission in the past year. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “Since last year, U.S. high-altitude balloons have illegally flown over China’s airspace more than 10 times without the approval of Chinese authorities.” The U.S., however, denies operating any surveillance balloons over China.
The Chinese allegations were made after the U.S. shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon that crossed from Alaska to South Carolina, leading to a new crisis in bilateral relations between the two countries. China says the balloon was a crewless airship for meteorological research that was blown off course. Still, the U.S. says the balloon was part of China’s military-linked aerial surveillance program that targeted more than 40 countries.
Due to the balloon incident, Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a visit to Beijing. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, “It is China that has a high-altitude surveillance balloon program for intelligence collection, connected to the People’s Liberation Army, that it has used to violate the sovereignty of the United States and over 40 countries across five continents.”
Six Chinese entities have been sanctioned by the United States for being linked to Beijing’s aerospace programs and has condemned China for violating U.S. sovereignty. House members unanimously condemned China for its “brazen violation” of U.S. sovereignty. However, China dismissed these claims as “an overreaction of overexertion.”
Adding to the tensions, a Philippines coast guard vessel was targeted by a Chinese coast guard ship with a military-grade laser in the South China Sea. The Philippines called this a “blatant” violation of Manila’s sovereign rights, but China said the Philippine coast guard vessel trespassed into Chinese waters. The U.S. also shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron, leading to heightened tensions between the two countries.
