balloons continues to spread in the international public opinion field, full of drama. Since a Chinese civilian unmanned airship was shot down by a U.S. fighter jet over U.S. territory on February 4, information has emerged from all sides.
At the press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a period of time, the topic of the so-called "spy balloon" was the hot topic of the day. However, what once again ignited the field of international public opinion was this Monday (13th) spokesperson Wang Wenbin revealed at the meeting that since last year, the US high-altitude balloons have illegally flown over China's airspace more than 10 times without the approval of relevant Chinese authorities.
U.S. denial vs. China’s new news
As soon as the news came out, American media asked Washington for confirmation, but U.S. officials denied it. Shenzhen Satellite TV's direct news search found that people at all levels, including the White House National Security Council and the US State Department, have expressed dissent on almost different occasions. White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson wrote on Twitter: "Any suggestion that the US government is running surveillance balloons over China is false." Kirby said in an interview with Microsoft National Broadcasting Corporation (msnbc) on the 13th local time: "This is not true. (The United States) did not do this. It is not true at all. We did not release balloons over China." Public Radio (npr) reported on the 14th that when it asked US Secretary of State Blinken about this, Blinken said categorically, "We will not send spy balloons over China. (We do not send spy balloons over China, period.)”
The denials of US officials aroused strong media interest. On the one hand, they sought an explanation from the US in Washington, and on the other hand, they asked for more information and demanded evidence from the Chinese side at the press conference of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.
Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News noticed that the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued to release new information when responding for many days. On Monday, Wang Wenbin first revealed that since last year, American high-altitude balloons have illegally flown over China's airspace "more than ten times". On Tuesday, Wang Wenbin revealed a more specific time when responding to foreign media. He pointed out that "since last year, since May last year to be precise", the US high-altitude balloons have illegally flown over the airspace of China and related countries at least a dozen times. Today (15th) Wang Wenbin revealed new details. Wang Wenbin pointed out that the US high-altitude balloon had "flyed over Xinjiang, Tibet and other places." "More than ten times" "flew over Xinjiang, Tibet and other places" "since May last year". These details further show that the denials of US officials are somewhat untenable. Many foreign media paid close attention to and reported on the new information disclosed by the Chinese side. "Time" (time) website reported that Wang Wenbin revealed that the balloon had flown over Xinjiang and Tibet, and these two places happened to be the areas where Western countries accused China of having so-called "human rights problems". Reuters also pointed out in the headline that China said that the US balloons flew over Xinjiang and Tibet, and warned that it would take countermeasures. With the amount of information gradually increasing, how the US will respond and explain deserves continuous attention.
Today, when the NBC reporter asked Wang Wenbin for relevant evidence again, Wang Wenbin said: "I suggest that you should go to the U.S. side for further verification and understanding. What is the scope of the audit? What is the real situation they know?
The official attitude of the United States is ambiguous. The unmanned airship above is a "spy balloon", claiming that it is part of the "fleet" of spy balloons sent by China to all over the world. On February 4, the United States did not hesitate to dispatch expensive f-22 fighter jets equipped with the new aim-9x "sidewinder" "The missile shot down the so-called "spy balloon", and then sent fighter planes three times within 8 days to shoot down the "UFO". The U.S. still does not know the origin of the three UFOs, but there is no indication that they are related to the Chinese balloon project. Kirby said that intelligence agencies are evaluating whether the three UFOs are for commercial or non-malicious purposes. On the 14th, the "Washington Post" quoted multipleA source said the Chinese balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic may have accidentally entered U.S. airspace. According to the report, it now appears that the tension between China and the United States caused by the shooting down of the balloon may have been caused, at least in part, by mistake. For a period of time, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly stated that the actions of the United States are purely "overreactions." Today, Wang Wenbin once again pointed out that the only connection between the four UFOs shot down in the United States and Canada is "overreaction."
Shenzhen Satellite TV News noticed that while some media focused on the US’s overreaction, some media turned to accuse China of seeming to be “exaggerating and distorting” the chemical leakage incident in the United States and a report accusing the US military of blowing up the “Beixi” Pipeline report. In response to this, Wang Wenbin responded at today's press conference, saying that you said that China is exaggerating and distorting related incidents. I think this just shows the consistent prejudice against China of some media. "I think the people's eyes are discerning. They have already seen through the US government's overreaction to the accident of the civilian airship and its tricks. Everyone knows who is playing the trick to divert attention."
In fact, the overreaction of the United States does not stop there. On February 10 local time, the Biden administration announced the addition of six Chinese entities to the export blacklist on the grounds of so-called "spy balloons". The U.S. Department of Commerce said the five sanctioned companies and one research institute are supporting “China’s military modernization efforts, especially the PLA’s aerospace programs, including airships and balloons.” At the beginning of today’s press conference, Wang Wenbin declared, The Chinese civilian unmanned airship strayed into the U.S. airspace, which was entirely an accidental incident caused by force majeure. China has explained the situation to the U.S. side many times. However, the United States abused force, overreacted, and escalated the situation, using this as an excuse to illegally sanction Chinese companies and institutions. China firmly opposes this, and will take countermeasures against relevant US entities that undermine China's sovereignty and security in accordance with the law, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests. Author of
丨Endi Zhu, Beijing-based correspondent of Shenzhen Satellite TV, editor of
丨Li Yi, editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Satellite TV,
