Correspondent Kim Hyun = Vice Foreign Ministers of Korea, the United States, and Japan criticized the Chinese reconnaissance balloon’s flight in the US airspace on the 13th (local time) as “an unacceptable violation of sovereignty.”
The South Korean and Japanese vice ministers also expressed their support for the US government’s response to shooting down a Chinese reconnaissance balloon.
First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori held a joint press conference after holding a Korea-US-Japan Vice Foreign Ministers Conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C. that day.
Regarding the Chinese reconnaissance balloon shot down on the 4th, Deputy Secretary Sherman said, “We are confident that this was a Chinese reconnaissance balloon, it was over our territory, and we had every right to shoot it down.” We shot it down safely to protect the region and the American people.”
Regarding the downing of unidentified flying objects that appeared in the airspace of the United States and Canada for three consecutive days from the 10th to the 12th, Deputy Secretary Sherman said, “They raised concerns about the potential danger to civil aircraft because of their altitude.” He explained that they worked together to shoot down.
He introduced that President Joe Biden had instructed National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to “form an inter-agency team so we could have a better assessment of where we are, what is out there, and how we should respond.” .
Regarding reports that US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln is considering meeting with a member of the Central Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party during the Munich Security Conference to be held in Germany on the 17th to 19th, Deputy Minister Sherman said, “I am sorry to hear that there are reports of potential talks in Munich. I know, but I have nothing to announce today.”
Deputy Secretary Sherman only said, “As Secretary Blincoln has consistently said, we are open to dialogue (with China) if it is in our interests for us to do so and if the situation is judged appropriate.”
Regarding China’s claim that US reconnaissance balloons had invaded Chinese airspace more than 10 times, Deputy Secretary Sherman refuted, saying, “There is no case in which an American reconnaissance balloon has flown into Chinese airspace.”
Regarding the Chinese reconnaissance balloon, Vice Minister Cho said, “We have already made it clear that any infringement on the territorial sovereignty of other countries will never be tolerated, and we can take necessary measures in accordance with international law.” We have a clear position on this.”
Vice Minister Cho emphasized, “As allies of the United States, we trust what the United States has officially announced on this issue.”
“We also expect that there will be a high-level dialogue where the United States will sit down and[discuss]with China on this issue,” Cho said.
Deputy Minister Mori also said, “We know that China has committed an unacceptable act of violating the sovereignty of the United States, and that the United States has responded prudently and lawfully to protect its people and sovereignty.” Japan said it supports the US position.”
“We look forward to staying in touch to learn more about the balloon issue, and we will be communicating to gain further insight into the matter,” he said.
(Washington = News 1)
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.