‘Don’t make a fuss’: China asks Japan to dismiss rumours of spy balloon in its airspace

Beijing: “The Japanese side should stop following the US to engage in artificial speculation and make a fuss,” said China’s foreign ministry following Japan’s apprehension of a Chinese spy balloon flying over its airspace.

Japan on Wednesday said that at least three “unidentified flying objects” have been observed in its airspace since 2019 which were “strongly presumed to be unmanned reconnaissance balloons flown by China.”

“As a result of further investigation of specific balloon-shaped flying objects that were confirmed in Japan’s airspace in the past, it is strongly suspected that they were unmanned surveillance balloons from China,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, according to Reuters.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “The Japanese side should uphold an objective and impartial position, take a correct view of this unforeseen situation caused by force majeure, and stop following the US to engage in artificial speculation and exploit the issue.”

A similar appeal was made to South Korea which also raised concerns over Chinese spy balloons. Vice foreign minister Sun Weidong told Korean ambassador Chung Jae-ho that Seoul should “discern right from wrong and make objective, rational and fair judgments”.

‘Balloon saga will further hurt China’s ties with neighbours’

A professor at Peking University, Wang Yong, said that alleged spy balloon sightings in Japan and South Korea have the potential to further hurt China’s ties with other Asian nations.

“The relationship between China and South Korea will become more challenging,” Wang said, as per South China Morning Post.

He added, “China, South Korea and Japan have to work together to establish mutual trust mechanisms, [as well as] communication and negotiation mechanisms, or future prospects will worsen and possibly lead to regional wars.”

The Japanese foreign ministry earlier said in a statement that it had “strongly demanded China’s government confirm the facts” of the incident and “that such a situation does not occur again in the future.”

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