China says its downed spy aircraft ‘does not belong to the US’

We have already reported about a Chinese spy aircraft in the shape of a balloon being spotted in the US, after which the Pentagon came into action. It must be noted that President Biden of the US hesitated to order its military to down this Chinese spy balloon because of intelligence inputs that this balloon could fall on its civilians and it can cause damage.

However, things changed when the US saw the balloon as a threat, and the US President then ordered the balloon to be taken down. Later, the US Airforce took down this Chinese balloon with the help of an F-16 aircraft. China also acknowledged that the balloon belonged to them but said that it was not a spy aircraft.

Now that the balloon has been taken down by the US military and taken into custody by them, the Chinese side has said that they want its balloon back and that “it does not belong to the US”. China also claims that the balloon was a civilian aircraft, not a surveillance aircraft, as claimed by the US side.

China’s Mao said, “The Chinese side has given information about the unmanned airship on several occasions. I don’t have anything to add at the moment,” refusing to elaborate on why the balloon strayed its course and went into the US territory. While the US quickly shot down this balloon, experts say it could still collect and transmit sensitive information to China for the time it was air bound. During its flight, it flew over many military establishments in the US, which is a security risk.

In her press conference, Mao said that the US should have responded in a “calm and professional manner” and said, “The unmanned Chinese airship is civilian. Its unintended entry into U.S. airspace is entirely unexpected and caused by force majeure. It didn’t pose any threat to any person or the national security of the U.S. The U.S. should have handled such incidents calmly and professionally, not involving the use of force, yet they decided to do otherwise, which is a clear overreaction.”