“What I would like to emphasise regarding this unexpected accident is that either side, especially the U.S., should remain calm,” said China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning.
Aly Song | Reuters
BEIJING — China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning urged either side to stay calm after the U.S. said it shot down what it called a Chinese spy balloon.
“What I would like to emphasise regarding this unexpected accident is that either side, especially the U.S., should remain calm,” Mao said in Mandarin, in response to a CNBC translation.
She was speaking at the primary of the ministry’s every day press conferences after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indefinitely postponed his trip to Beijing following news that a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was flying over america.
Blinken was originally expected to go to Beijing Sunday and Monday, although the U.S. had offered few official details and the Chinese side never confirmed the trip. The U.S. military shot down the balloon over the weekend.
China has called the balloon a “civilian unmanned airship” and said it was primarily conducting weather research before it was blown off track.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao emphasized the accidental nature of the balloon’s flight path, and said China has lost control of other such vehicles, in response to her question-and-answer session Monday with reporters.
When asked who or what type of company made the balloon, Mao declined to share any details.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “revealed that we do know that after the balloon was exposed to the general public, China attempted to maneuver the balloon to go away the U.S. as soon as they may,” a Senate Democrats press release said Sunday.
When asked to substantiate this detail, Mao said China’s communication with the U.S. “all the time works hard to handle things responsibly.”
She said again that the event was accidental, but puts the U.S. to the test when it comes to how it may well handle crises and stabilize U.S.-China relations. Mao reiterated China’s calls for “mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation“ within the bilateral relationship.
Plans for Blinken to go to Beijing were announced in November after Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden had their first in-person meeting throughout the Biden administration.
News of the meeting and expectations that Blinken would visit Beijing had increased hopes for more stability within the tense U.S.-China relationship.
Ahead of Blinken’s visit, U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price told reporters Thursday that one goal of high-level conversations with Beijing was “responsible management” of the world’s “most consequential” bilateral relationship. Such talks, he added, are supposed to be certain that “competition doesn’t veer into conflict.”