NEW YORK, February 13. /TASS/. The US has not been flying balloons over China as Beijing maintains, US White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday.
"Not true. Not doing it. Just absolutely not true," Kirby said. "We are not flying balloons over China," he added.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a briefing on Monday that US balloons have illegally entered Chinese airspace more than 10 times since last year.
"Since last year alone, US ‘high-altitude balloons' have illegally violated Chinese airspace on more than 10 occasions without permission from the Chinese authorities," the spokesman said.
He also urged Washington to "think about its own actions before making accusations against China."
In early February, US authorities detected a Chinese balloon flying over the continental United States at an altitude well above standard flight corridors for commercial air traffic, which posed no hazard to people on the ground. On February 4, the US Air Force downed the alleged "spy balloon" within US airspace. According to the Pentagon, the aerostat was engaged in gathering critical data.
The incident prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel his scheduled visit to China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry voiced its protest against the accusations and slanderous rhetoric emanating from Washington. Beijing explained that the Chinese weather balloon had strayed from its planned route and ended up in US airspace by accident.