U.S. urged to acknowledge, resolve the damage its abuse of force has done to China-U.S. relations: Chinese FM

(ECNS) --We once again urge the U.S. side to demonstrate sincerity, rectify its wrongdoing, and acknowledge and resolve the damage its abuse of force has done to China-U.S. relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

China has explicitly told the U.S. multiple times that the entry of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship into the U.S. airspace was an entirely unintended, unexpected and isolated event caused by force majeure, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the regular press conference.

He pointed out that China has repeatedly asked the U.S. side to properly handle the matter in a calm, professional and rational manner. However, the U.S. ignored facts and fabricated the “spy balloon” narrative.

U.S. President Joe Biden personally gave the order to brazenly shoot down a civilian airship by firing a missile from an advanced fighter jet, which gravely violates customary international practice and relevant international conventions, he said, adding that instead of reflecting on and acknowledging what it has done wrong, the U.S. chose to smear and attack China, sanction Chinese companies and keep escalating the situation.

"Those irresponsible remarks made by Secretary Blinken were a clear misrepresentation of the facts. It is the U.S. who is the number one country in the world in violating other countries’ sovereignty, breaking international law and massively eavesdropping and spying on other countries. We strongly condemn the egregious behavior of the U.S. and have repeatedly protested it strongly to the U.S. side," he noted.

Wang pointed out that President Biden has pledged openly many times that the U.S. does not seek a new Cold War with China and that it has no intention to seek a conflict with China. We hope that as the leader of a major country, President Biden will keep his word rather than say one thing but do another.

The spokesperson quoted a Chinese saying that goes "it’s inappropriate not to reciprocate." If the U.S. continues to fuss over, dramatize and escalate the crisis, it should not expect the Chinese side to flinch and should be prepared to bear all potential consequences, he said.