Chinese spy balloon claims: Beijing urges US to respond ‘calmly and prudently’
- Beijing has not issued an outright denial, saying it is ‘learning about the verification of the matter’ and had ‘no intention’ of violating US air space
- US officials say they do not believe the balloon is a serious intelligence threat and some analysts have speculated that it may not be used for spying
In response to a question about the Pentagon tracking the suspected Chinese spy balloon, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning did not issue an outright denial on Friday, saying Beijing was still “learning about the verification of the matter”.
“I want to emphasise that before the facts are clear, any speculation and hype are not conducive to the solution of the problem,” Mao said.
“China is a responsible country and has always abided by international law. We have no intention of violating the territory or airspace of any sovereign state.”
Pentagon officials said on Thursday that the US was tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been spotted over its airspace.
The air force had prepared fighter jets to shoot it down, but military leaders advised President Joe Biden against doing so because it risked killing or injuring people on the ground, according to Reuters.