Balloon Flying Over Latin America Is Chinese, Beijing Confirms

The US military on Saturday shot down a Chinese high-altitude balloon after it drifted off the East Coast near the Carolinas, the Pentagon confirmed.

Beijing on Monday confirmed that the balloon flying over Latin America was from China

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New Delhi: Beijing on Monday confirmed that the balloon flying over Latin America was from China, the news agency AFP reported. The US military on Saturday shot down a Chinese high-altitude balloon after it drifted off the East Coast near the Carolinas, the Pentagon confirmed.

Beijing's foreign ministry Monday said the object was "from China" and that it was of "a civilian nature and used for flight tests".

"Affected by weather forces in addition to its manoeuvrability being limited, the airship deviated greatly from its expected course, and accidentally entered Latin American and Caribbean airspace," spokesperson Mao Ning told a press briefing.

"China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international law," she added.

"We have communicated with the relevant parties and are handling appropriately, and will not cause any threat to any country."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday. However, according to AP, he confirmed telling a senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on a phone call that sending the balloon over the US was “an irresponsible act and that (China’s) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have.”

“Job one is getting it out of our airspace. We continue to believe that having open lines of communication is important. Indeed, this incident only underscores the importance, and that's why we will maintain them. That's why, when conditions permit, I plan to go to China. But the most important thing right now is to see that this surveillance asset gets out of our airspace, and we'll take it from there,” Blinken told reporters at a news conference, reported PTI.

China voiced anger on Sunday at the shooting down of the balloon, which it insists was an unmanned weather surveillance aircraft that had veered off course.

Beijing said that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticised the US for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice,” AP added. 

In its statement on Sunday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response."

(With inputs from agencies)