What response has China given
The latest in a sequence of reversals in China’s stance on a global drama is its allegation that the US has flown balloons into its territory.
Since the US originally claimed that China had flown a spy balloon above its border, it has been almost two weeks.
The episode has sparked a variety of reactions from the Chinese government and people, ranging from outrage to hysterical speculation.
first there comes silence, then an admission
Chinese officials held off responding right away after the Pentagon first revealed the balloon’s presence on February 2; they finally said something the next evening.
They acknowledged ownership of the object in a statement, but noted that it was a civilian.
State media, who up until the government’s admission had largely refrained from covering the topic, however, became more protective.
The Global Times called on the US to “be more honest in repairing relations with China instead of making provocative moves against it,” while the China Daily asserted that the “manufactured balloon falsehood cannot be tracked down to China.”
The occurrence sparked immediate online humour, with many users jokingly referring to the object as “The Wandering Balloon” in reference to the well-known Chinese science-fiction book and movie The Wandering Earth.
The following morning, as word spread that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had cancelled a trip to China, Chinese authorities responded with a longer, more forceful statement, stating that “certain politicians and media in the US have blown it up to attack and slander China.
Following the announcement that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had cancelled a trip to China, Chinese authorities issued a longer, more forceful statement in defence of their country, stating that “certain politicians and media in the US have hyped it up to attack and slander China.
