China blames the US: Ten spy balloons in our skies since 2022

Tensions rise between China and the United States. A war of nerves is being waged in the spy balloons. And every day new details emerge about a verbal confrontation that could soon turn into a military conflict. “Since 2022, US high-altitude balloons have illegally flown over Chinese airspace more than 10 times without the approval of relevant Chinese authorities.” This was stated by a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the Global Times, adding that “the US has also frequently sent ships and planes to conduct close reconnaissance of China, 657 times last year and 64 only in January of this year in the South China Sea, seriously endangering China’s national security and undermining regional peace and stability”. China urges the United States to stop making “irresponsible comments” and slandering China after shooting down unidentified flying objects in recent days. “We have always advocated that irresponsible remarks should not be made without proof,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in response to a request from Beijing to confirm or deny that some of the unidentified flying objects slaughtered in recent days came from China. . Beijing, added the spokesman, “is firmly opposed to the practice of manufacturing from scratch and discrediting China.”

Meanwhile, Taiwan says it has seen dozens of Chinese “military balloons” pass through its airspace in recent years, far more than previously known, raising concerns that Beijing may be preparing for an attack on the country. . “We’ve seen them very often, the last one just a few weeks ago,” said a senior Taiwanese official quoted by the Financial Times. Another person familiar with the matter said these “incursions” occur on average once a month. Previously, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense had only confirmed a similar incident in February last year, in which several Chinese balloons were observed in the north of the country. Other nations in the region, including Japan and the Philippines, have observed incursions by such aircraft into their airspace, but their governments have provided few details. Revelations of frequent flights over Taiwan provide new insight into China’s extensive “military balloon” program, which attracted global attention after the United States shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon earlier this month off the coast of South Carolina.