China calls for strict negotiations, including summoning US ambassador
Some people ridicule “shooting cannons to catch mosquitoes”
US investigates ‘reconnaissance purpose’ to restore collected data
Senate to hold full briefing session on China’s reconnaissance assets
The Chinese government made an official protest through diplomatic lines to the United States, which shot down its reconnaissance balloon, saying, “We will resolutely defend China’s interests and dignity.” The US administration of Joe Biden is known to report China’s US surveillance and reconnaissance activities, including this incident, to Congress on the 7th (local time) at the earliest.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 6th, “Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Xiefeng (Vice Minister) on behalf of the Chinese government filed stern negotiations with the person in charge of the US Embassy in China on the 5th regarding the US military attack on a Chinese civilian drone.” revealed ‘Strict bargaining’ refers to an official protest through diplomatic channels, such as inviting an ambassador. China said in August of last year that it had “suggested strict negotiations” when then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in December, which included large-scale arms support to Taiwan.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry, Vice Minister Xie said that the balloon shot down by a US official was a “civilian unmanned airship” and that “the US ignored China’s announcement and stubbornly abused its force against a civilian airship that was about to leave US airspace.” He then protested, saying, “Since the summit between the leaders of China and the United States (in November of last year), it has dealt a serious blow and harmed the efforts and processes of both sides to stabilize bilateral relations.”
It is interpreted that the message was sent to the United States to prevent the spread of the situation, warning that it could adversely affect the US-China summit agreement to restore high-level communication channels between the US and China. “I urge the United States not to take further actions that escalate the tension,” Xie said.
In some Chinese internet media and social media, articles are spreading to the effect that the fact that a Chinese balloon penetrated the world’s strongest air defense network and entered US airspace itself is a “China victory.” Some ridiculed that the U.S. mobilized the latest F-22 fighter jet to shoot down the balloon and that it “fired a cannon to catch mosquitoes.”
The United States is speeding up the collection of remnants of reconnaissance balloons. By restoring the collected data, it is confirmed that the balloon was intended for reconnaissance of a key US military base, and further action will be taken. Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 6th that “there is information that (the balloon) was shot from a satellite launch base in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region managed by the Strategic Support Unit of the Chinese Army.” This unit is known to monitor U.S. nuclear weapons facilities through reconnaissance satellites.
The U.S. Congress also launched a full-fledged response. A congressional source told CNN, “The briefing of the 8-member assembly (a meeting of leaders such as the floor leaders of the upper and lower houses of the House and the Senate) will be held on the 7th at the earliest.” The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans to hold a hearing on the 9th to discuss the overall U.S. policy toward China.
The U.S. is poised to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the overall status of Chinese surveillance and reconnaissance that threatens the U.S. and respond accordingly. An official from the Joe Biden administration told Fox News on the 5th that “a Chinese reconnaissance balloon crashed into the Pacific Ocean off a beach in Hawaii four months ago.” It is known that on the 15th, it will report to the U.S. Senate about all of China’s surveillance and reconnaissance assets along with the reconnaissance balloon incident.
Experts believe that China is unlikely to take tough retaliatory measures. However, there are also concerns that military tensions may soar if an attempt is made to fly a US reconnaissance plane or shoot down a drone in the Taiwan Strait or the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea (Chinese name Nansha Islands), which it claims to be its territory.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.