Editor TLN
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Beijing (AFP) – The Chinese government confirmed on Monday that the balloon identified by the United States flying over Latin America is its own, after a similar device was shot down by the United States last weekend.
The Pentagon said Friday that a second suspected spy balloon from China had been detected flying over Latin America.
The Colombian air force indicated that “an object” with “”characteristics similar to those of a balloon” had been detected and monitored “until it left the airspace.”
The air force said it was investigating the incident in coordination with other countries and institutions “to establish the origin of the object.”
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained on Monday that the object was “from China” and that it was “civilian in nature and used for flight tests.”
Due to “weather forces and its limited maneuverability, the airship seriously deviated from its scheduled route” and “accidentally headed towards Latin America and the Caribbean,” a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, said. press.
“China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international law,” he added.
“We have communicated with the relevant parties and are handling [la cuestión] properly, and we will not cause any threat to any country,” he continued.
The detection of another balloon flying over the United States led to the cancellation of a planned trip to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was due to arrive in Beijing on Sunday.
China protested the US decision to shoot down the balloon, which Beijing said was civilian in nature and had been blown off course by the wind.
