CHINA CALLS U.S. House condemnation over balloon ‘political manipulation.’
BEIJING — China dismissed Friday a U.S. House of Representatives resolution condemning Beijing over a suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down above U.S. waters as “political manipulation.”
“China is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters at a daily briefing. “The resolution by the U.S. Congress was purely political manipulation and hyping up.”
The resolution, which passed unanimously Thursday, condemned China for a “brazen violation” of U.S. sovereignty and efforts to “deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns.”
China insists the object was a civilian weather balloon that had been blown off course, but has not offered other details.
Meanwhile, China’s Defense Ministry said it refused a call from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following the downing of the balloon because the U.S. had “not created the proper atmosphere” for dialogue and exchange.
China “reserves the right to use necessary means to deal with similar situations,” ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said in a statement issued late Thursday.
The U.S. claims that the balloon was part of a huge aerial surveillance program that targeted more than 40 countries under the direction of the People’s Liberation Army.
A State Department official, citing an official army procurement portal, said the U.S. has confidence that the manufacturer of the balloon has “a direct relationship with China’s military and is an approved vendor” of the army.
Publicly available records show several Chinese companies have been developing balloons for military use, with some openly touting their connections with the People’s Liberation Army.
Such high-tech balloons are often far larger than the hot air balloons used for recreational purposes. The one shot down by the U.S. was 200 feet tall.
State-owned defense contractor China Electronics Technology Group boasted in 2021 that its JY400 balloon could be equipped with radar and equipment to eavesdrop and interfere with telecommunications.
An email sent to the company bounced back because the inbox was full. A man who picked up the telephone at a number listed for it declined to answer questions and said email was the only way to send requests for comment.
Two balloon companies in the southern province of Hunan also tout military connections.
The Zhuzhou Rubber Research and Design Institute makes the rubber pouches that fill with helium, making balloons lighter than air, and works with the People’s Liberation Army, according to procurement notices, job advertisements and a now-deleted description on its company website.
The deleted description states it is one of only two weather balloon makers in China, and a “military rubber products research and production unit.” The company, a subsidiary of a state-owned enterprise, the China National Chemical Corp., did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Hunan Aerospace states on its website that it makes balloons that can float 2 miles high for 21 days at a time. It also produces balloons called “elite scouts” able to hover in place for long periods, according to Rednet.cn, a state-backed media outlet in Hunan province.
A woman answering a number listed for Hunan Aerospace denied any connection with the spy balloon incident. Its parent company, state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp., which also builds missile systems, did not immediately respond to a fax and email requesting comment.