China on Monday admitted that a huge balloon spotted over Latin America belongs to it, days after the US military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over the continental US for days.
The Colombian Air Force and Costa Rica’s Civil Aviation Authority both confirmed that a white observation balloon similar to the one spotted over the US was tracked in their airspace last week, though they did not attribute the vessel to China.
Also read | ‘Unexpected, isolated incident’: Chinese foreign ministry over balloon row
This is the first time Beijing has admitted the balloon spotted over two Latin American countries belongs to China.
“With regard to the balloon over Latin America, it has been verified that the unmanned airship is from China, of civilian nature and used for flight test,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters here in response to a volley of questions on the two suspected spy balloons.
China has denied accusations of spying, saying it was monitoring the weather. The incident has led to a diplomatic row between Washington and Beijing.
“Affected by the weather and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course and entered into the airspace of Latin America and the Caribbean,” Mao said.
Also read | ‘For civilian purpose’: China over balloon spotted in Latin America
“China is a responsible country and always acts in strict accordance with international law. We have informed relevant sides. It is being properly handled and will not pose any threat to any country. They have expressed their understanding,” she said.
A similar high-altitude Chinese balloon was floating over the US for most of last week.
It was first detected by the North American Aerospace Defense Command on January 28 as it floated eastward over Alaska. The balloon then travelled down across Canada into the US where it spent some time over sensitive missile sites in Montana, according to American officials.
US officials say the balloon was being used for surveillance and the Pentagon tracked the balloon for several days as it made its way over the northern United States before US military fighter jets shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday after getting approval from President Joe Biden.
China on Sunday expressed outrage that the aircraft was shot down and repeated their earlier claims that the balloon was for civilian use and that it drifted to the US airspace by mistake.
Admiral Mike Mullen, former chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has dismissed China’s explanation that it might have blown off course, saying it was manoeuvrable because “it has propellers on it”.
“This was not an accident. This was deliberate. It was intelligence,” he added.
Relations between China and the US have been strained by the balloon incident, with the Pentagon calling it an “unacceptable violation” of its sovereignty. A planned trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China this week was cancelled as a result of the row.