The latter was reported on Friday by the Pentagon, after a first Chinese surveillance ball was spotted in the American sky before being shot.
Mo12345lemonde with AFP
The Pentagon spotted him on Friday, February 3, in full tension between the United States and China, after a first Chinese surveillance ball was spotted in the American sky. The second Chinese ball, floating above Latin America and designated by the United States as a “surveillance” machine, comes from China, but is “of a civil nature”, assured Chinese diplomacy on Monday, February 6 .
“After verification, it turns out that this unmanned balloon comes from China. It is a civil nature and used for flight tests,” said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. She added during a regular press point that “under the effect of the climate and because of her limitations in terms of maneuverability, this ball has seriously deviated from her planned trajectory and was lost in the sky above of Latin and Caribbean America “, without specifying to which entity belongs the machine.
lively Sino-American tensions
The US military killed on Saturday, on the order of the president, Joe Biden, the first Chinese ball that has been flying over the United States for several days, off the coast of Southern Carolina, in the south-east of the country. China said it was a civil aircraft and accused the United States of having “surreated” by using force.
The incident led to the postponement of the visit of the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, China. Scheduled on February 5 and 6, it obviously included a meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. A first of its kind for six years for a chief of American diplomacy. The visit would not have been “appropriate” due to the “irresponsible act” Chinese, according to a statement from the State Department.
“American actions have seriously affected and damaged the efforts and progress of both parties to stabilize Sino-American relations since the Bali meeting” between presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, in November 2022, for his part , declared Monday in a statement The Deputy Minister of Chinese Foreign Affairs, Xie Feng.
On the sidelines of this first incident, the US defense ministry said on Friday to have spotted a second “Chinese surveillance ball” above Latin America, while Colombia pointed out that the machine had flown over its territory during the weekend.
The Colombian Air Force clarified that the ball had been spotted on Friday morning and watched until it leaves national airspace. The military authorities of the South American country assured that the machine had at no time “threatened” the security and defense of the country. No details on its location or trajectory has been given.