China accused the United States of flying balloons over its territory, hitting back against Washington’s claims that Beijing has been operating a fleet of surveillance aircraft around the world.
The downing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina earlier this month prompted a bipartisan congressional resolution condemning Beijing, while subsequent downings of other unidentified objects over North America in recent days have sparked widespread jitters and speculation as to their origins.
Only the first object has been officially attributed to China, with Beijing insisting it was a civilian craft that had blown off course.
On Monday, China sought to turn the tables on Washington, accusing it of having sent more than 10 balloons into its airspace since January 2022.
“It’s not uncommon as well for the United States to illegally enter the airspace of other countries,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said during a briefing.
“Since last year alone, US balloons have illegally flown above China more than 10 times without any approval from Chinese authorities.”
Asked how China responded to those alleged incursions, Wang said Beijing’s “handling (of these incidents) was responsible and professional”.
“If you want to know more about US high-altitude balloons illegally entering China’s airspace, I suggest you refer to the US side,” he added.
Over the weekend, Chinese state-affiliated media reported that an unidentified flying object had been spotted off the country’s east coast — and that the military was preparing to shoot it down.
Beijing on Monday declined to comment on that report, referring journalists to the defence ministry, which did not respond to requests for comment from AFP.