[北京/ワシントン １４日 ロイター] – The rift between the US and China is deepening. The U.S. military is investigating the wreckage of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon shot down earlier this month, while Beijing accuses Washington of flying high-altitude balloons into the airspace of China and other countries.
The U.S. military announced on the 13th that it had recovered sensors and other electronic equipment that may have been used to collect information from a Chinese reconnaissance balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on the 4th. In a statement, it said it was able to recover significant debris from the site, including sensors and electronics and much of the structure.
Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the U.S. National Security Council (NSC), said on Thursday that U.S. intelligence agencies have verified the possibility that three objects shot down by U.S. military aircraft over North America were not intended for commercial purposes or malicious intent. stated that Speaking to reporters, the United States said it still had no firm idea of what the three flying objects were, but said there was no indication that the three objects were related to China’s reconnaissance balloon program.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday that the United States has launched more than 10 high-altitude balloons since May 2022, and they have landed in Chinese and other countries’ airspace. However, it did not disclose the names of the countries other than China where the US balloons flew, nor which regions of China they flew to, nor did it provide photographic evidence or other evidence of airspace incursions.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and parts of the East and South China Seas, but the U.S. military regularly operates in accordance with international law, he said.
China accused the United States on Wednesday of sanctions imposed by the United States on six Chinese groups accused of being linked to ballooning.
On the other hand, there are signs that China is seeking stability in US-China relations.
Biden has repeatedly stressed that the balloon will protect U.S. airspace, but said he does not believe the incident has weakened relations between the United States and China.
The sources also said that US Secretary of State Brinken is considering the possibility of meeting with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, at the Munich Security Conference starting this week.
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