The White House announced that it will work to strengthen the ROK-US alliance in the face of strengthening China’s reconnaissance activities, including reconnaissance balloons. He also held China accountable for canceling the foreign minister’s visit to China.
According to the Voice of America (VOA), National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator John Kirby said in an online briefing on the 6th (local time), “We will do what we have to do to ensure that our allies are strong and active.” .
Previously, in the United States, on the 28th of last month, a Chinese reconnaissance balloon entered Alaskan airspace, moved to Canada, and then returned to the US mainland. The US authorities shot down the balloon by mobilizing fighter jets on the 4th.
In addition, on the Korean Peninsula, Chinese military aircraft invaded the Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) ahead of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Korea at the end of last month. In response, a question came up during the briefing whether these activities were a challenge to the ROK-US alliance.
“I can’t comment on any specific reconnaissance operations that China may be carrying out on the Korean Peninsula,” Kirby said. “I don’t have any information about that.”
At the same time, he stressed that the ROK-US alliance must be sufficient to defend not only their own country, but also South Korea’s national security interests and the USFK.
On the other hand, Coordinator Kirby pointed out that “clearly, this incident did not help the process” regarding the impact of the Chinese reconnaissance balloon incident on US-China relations. “It did not help improve bilateral relations between the United States,” he said.
In addition, regarding the cancellation of Secretary of State Tony Blincoln’s visit to China, he said, “It was not appropriate for Secretary Blincoln to visit Beijing in a situation where an outrageous invasion of our sovereign airspace occurred.”
Regarding the shooting down of his country’s balloon, he explained, “President Joe Biden exercised his authority and orders in accordance with international law to protect our sovereign airspace and homeland.”
“There is no reason for the tension in our bilateral relations to escalate into a kind of dispute,” he said. “We will definitely continue our flights, navigation and operations in accordance with international law.”
According to him, the Chinese reconnaissance balloon discovered this time was equipped with a propeller and a rudder and could control its direction and speed.
Regarding the cancellation of Secretary Blincoln’s visit to China due to the reconnaissance balloon incident, State Department spokesman Ned Price said, “We had a valuable opportunity to engage in face-to-face diplomacy,” and said, “It is not our responsibility to lose the opportunity.”
“(The cancellation of the visit) lies with China for its fundamentally inappropriate, irresponsible and unacceptable behavior,” he said.
When asked about the impact the reconnaissance balloon controversy will have on the alliance, Price said, “Our greatest strength in dealing with the challenges posed by China is our partnership and alliance system.”
“From 2021, the first year of my administration, through the end of that year, we have been working to build a convergence point regarding China’s challenges and threats with our allies and partners in Europe and around the world,” he said.
“We are fortunate to have allies in the Indo-Pacific region and Europe,” he said. “We are aligned with them to respond to the challenges and opportunities we face.”
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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.