What’s new: China has rejected a U.S. proposal for a phone call between the countries’ defense chiefs to discuss the recent balloon incident, criticizing Washington for setting “a very bad precedent” by shooting down the unmanned Chinese airship, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
Beijing turned down the offer given the U.S.’ “irresponsible and seriously wrong practice, which had failed to create a proper atmosphere for dialogue and exchange between the two militaries,” Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said in a statement Thursday.
The use of force on the airship “seriously violated international practices,” Tan added, reiterating that China reserves the right to take necessary measures to deal with similar situations, without providing further detail.
The background: An unmanned Chinese airship entered U.S. airspace last week, which the Chinese foreign ministry said was an accident that happened due to weather patterns. It also said it was a civilian balloon being used for meteorological research.
The Pentagon shot down the airship on Saturday, local time, an action that has riled up Beijing, which called it a “clear overreaction” by the U.S.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a planned visit to China due to the incident. His trip was reportedly scheduled for Feb. 5 and Feb. 6.
Following the first incident, a second balloon was spotted in the skies over Latin America and the Caribbean last week. Beijing said the unmanned airship was also used for civilian purposes and had deviated from its planned course.
Contact reporter Kelly Wang (jingzhewang@caixin.com) and editor Jonathan Breen (jonathanbreen@caixin.com)
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