The United States shot down a Chinese balloon accused of being a spy tool, but China says it was just a weather research balloon.
An indictment against the United States. The head of Chinese diplomacy Wang Yi delivered a violent charge against Washington on Saturday, February 18, in front of an audience of international leaders and experts gathered at the Munich Security Conference. First target of Chinese anger: the American reaction, judged “absurd and hysterical”when a Chinese balloon flies over American territory.
This aircraft, a spy balloon according to Washington, an object “civil”, assures Beijing, was shot down on February 4 by a plane of the American Air Force. “There are a lot of balloons in the sky, from different countries. Do you want to shoot down every one of them? It doesn’t show that America is strong”the high Chinese diplomat got carried away at the podium.
“It’s 100% abuse of the use of force.”
Wang Yi, head of Chinese diplomacy
It was a simple weather research balloon that drifted involuntarily in American airspace, repeated the head of diplomacy. “We urge the United States not to do such absurd things just to divert attention from its domestic problems.”warned Wang Yi. “We have asked the United States to handle this situation in a calm and professional manner.”
Criticisms of American protectionism
Between Washington and Beijing, there are many disputes: imbalance in trade relations, the situation in Hong Kong, American relations with Taiwan, human rights and even technological rivalry. Wang Yi continued his charge on this last aspect, denouncing the American restrictions on the export of microchips. These restrictions fall under “100%” of “protectionism”. They are at “100% selfish, 100% unilateral” and are “in serious violation of the principle of free trade”argued the head of Chinese diplomacy.
Wang Yi presented his country as a champion of “peace”a word repeated about thirty times, and reiterates that Moscow and kyiv should “sit around the table and find” an issue “policy” to the conflict. The American vice-president, Kamala Harris, also present in Munich, questioned the neutrality displayed by China. The United States is “troubled by the fact that Beijing has deepened its relations with Moscow since the beginning of the war”she pointed out.
The Europeans for their part, notably Germany and France, still hope to convince China to put pressure on Vladimir Putin so that he puts an end to the war. Paris had estimated Thursday that “time to reconnect” with China, where Emmanuel Macron will soon go, had come.