China fired the head of its national weather service on Saturday in a move widely seen as an effort to substantiate its claims that the balloon floating over the US this weekend was a weather craft off course.
Beijing announced the firing of Zhuang Guotai on Saturday, hours before the United States shot down the ship off the coast of South Carolina. The United States is working to recover the balloon for inspection, but Beijing has argued that it was harmless and that its presence in US airspace was an accident.
“After verification, the Chinese side has repeatedly informed the US side of the civil nature of the aircraft and communicated that its entry into the US due to Force Majeure it was totally unexpected,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
While Zhuang’s dismissal is seen as supporting the Chinese version of events, its impact is somewhat undermined given that he was scheduled to leave the weather service anyway. Zhuang had already won the election to head the People’s Political Consultative Committee of the western province of Gansu in late January.
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US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The pair now face a Chinese balloon shot down by the US.
(REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
A Chinese balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, USA, February 1, 2023 in this image obtained from social media.
(Chase Doak/via Reuters)
China condemned the US decision to shoot down the balloon as a “clear overreaction” on Saturday.
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“China strongly disapproves and protests against the US attack into a civilian unmanned aircraft by force,” the Foreign Ministry said.
“In such circumstances, the use of force by the United States is a clear overreaction and a serious violation of international practice,” he added. “China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the company concerned and reserves the right to provide further responses if necessary.”
Despite China’s claims, the US Department of Defense determined that the balloon was “maneuverable, undermining the likelihood that it would have flown across the Pacific towards the US.”
Photos taken in Aynor, South Carolina of the downing of the Chinese spy balloon.
(FoxNews)
The balloon uproar came as Secretary of State Tony Blinken was scheduled to travel to China to meet with his Chinese counterpart and leader, Xi Jinping. However, those plans have since been put on hold.
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President Biden and other Democrats have argued that the balloon’s presence in US airspace was unacceptable, but the Pentagon has yet to declare whether the craft was intended for espionage.
