China has denied that the objects shot down by the U.S. in recent days are theirs. In fact, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin issued a strong denunciation of U.S. spy and surveillance operations in response to several reporters’ questions this morning. “As a matter of fact, it is the U.S. who is the No.1 surveillance country and has the largest spy network in the world,” Wang said.
“Over the years, the U.S. has been engaged in massive, non-discriminate wiretapping and secret theft operations globally, including against its allies, by abusing its tech advantage,” Wang continued. “These operations violate the sovereignty and interests of countries around the world, the international law and basic norms governing international relations, which makes the U.S. the absolute No.1 country in terms of spying and surveillance.”
China is a particularly major target of U.S. spying operations. “The U.S. military vessels and aircraft conduct frequent close-in reconnaissance on China, including 657 sorties last year and 64 sorties in January this year in the South China Sea alone, which seriously undermines China’s national security and regional peace and stability,” Wang said. “U.S. balloons have often entered other countries’ airspace illegally. Since last year, U.S. high-altitude balloons have flown over Chinese airspace over ten times without authorization from China. The U.S. needs to reflect on its own behavior and change course rather than attacking others and stoking confrontation.” (https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/202302/t20230213_11024546.html )
