Islam Uddin
16 February 2023•Update: 16 February 2023
ANKARA
A key legislative committee in China on Thursday condemned the US House of Representatives resolution on the balloon incident, state-run media said.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress of China criticized the move, calling it "ill-intentioned hype and political manipulation.”
"China is a responsible country that strictly abides by international law, respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country," the committee said, according to Global.
The committee accused US officials of deliberately exaggerating the “threat of China.”
Last week, the US House of Representatives unanimously approved a resolution, condemning China for its use of a suspected spy balloon above the continental US.
The resolution was approved by a vote of 419 to 0 last week.
The resolution, sponsored by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, stated that China's use of the aircraft in the skies over the US is a "brazen violation of US sovereignty."
On Feb. 4, a suspected balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina by a US fighter plane.
China has played down the incident, claiming that the balloon was meant for "research, mainly meteorological purpose" and had blown off course.
China on Monday accused Washington of flying 10 spy balloons over Chinese airspace since January 2022, claiming that it is "very common" for the US to do so in other nations' sovereign airspace.
The White House strongly denied the allegation, insisting that "we're not flying surveillance balloons over China."
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid
