China accuses US of indiscriminate use of force over balloon

The Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) – China has accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, saying it seriously damaged both sides’ efforts to stabilize Sino-U.S. relations.

Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng says he lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy over the use of military force on the balloon.

Xie repeated China’s insistence that the balloon was an unmanned Chinese civil airship that blew into U.S. airspace by mistake.

He called the U.S. response an overreaction that “seriously violated the spirit of international law.”

The presence of the balloon above the U.S. dealt a severe blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations.

Read the full story on AP News right here.

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

2/6/2023 9:00:33 AM (GMT -6:00)