The animosity between the West and China is escalating with no signs of cooling down anytime soon. To date, the United States has downed multiple devices hovering over our airfield and the airfield of neighboring Canada.
At least one of these is confirmed to have come from China.
When the United States removed the spy balloon that was flying above our nation, the Chinese government lashed out. Officials with the People’s Republic of China said America was too hasty and even in violation of international law.
Not long afterward, NATO came out and stated that China is working to expand its own power, while simultaneously acquiring intel on other countries.
Now, China is accusing the United States of having flown multiple balloons over its own territory since 2022, per Washington Post.
A Closer Look at the Accusation From China’s Government
China started this week by saying the United States is responsible for sending spy balloons over the Chinese airfield on ten separate occasions since 2022 began. The communist regime also claims Beijing never OKed these alleged balloons sent by the American government.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Military even went so far as to allege that the United States is weaponizing aircraft to gather intel on China. Ironically, the Chinese government is being accused of doing this to other nations spanning multiple continents.
#UPDATE China says US sent balloons into its airspace more than 10 times since January 2022, deepening a row between the two powers after an alleged Chinese spy craft was shot down.
Foreign ministry urges US to "change its course and introspect itself rather than smear… China" pic.twitter.com/VBqtppgEKh
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 13, 2023
That’s not all that China had to say, though. The communist regime later went on to advise America to “reflect” and shift gears, rather than poking the bear and generating more conflict.
Pushback from the United States
Naturally, our country’s government is not taking these claims from China lying down. In the wake of this accusation, US national security official John Kirby explicitly stated that the claims from China are simply not accurate.
Kirby made this clear while speaking to the media. His remarks were highlighted by more feedback from our country’s national security council.
In these remarks, the US government warned that China is responsible for gathering intelligence on dozens of nations around the world, while violating their sovereignty in the process.
National Security Council John Kirby unequivocally denies that the US is flying balloon over China pic.twitter.com/1XwmaIWHMQ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 13, 2023
Moreover, the US government stressed that amid the international backlash over at least one spy balloon from China, the communist government is now in “damage control” mode.
Finally, China was called out for saying its spy balloon caught over US airspace was nothing more than a weather device.
Going forward, it remains to be seen how China responds and what potential actions it may take to further surveil other countries across the globe.
Do you believe China’s claim that the American government sent several different spy balloons hovering over Chinese airspace since 2022? Let us know in the comments area what you believe will happen next.
