The Chinese government responded to the House of Representatives' resolution condemning the country for the "blatant violation" of U.S. sovereignty in regards to the spy balloon that was encountered over Montana. China described the resolution as "purely political manipulation." The spy balloon was eventually shot down after flying a few days over U.S. territory.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at her daily press conference:
China is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it. ... The U.S. Congressional resolution was a purely political manipulation and exaggeration.
The statement came a day after Republicans and Democrats joined in a unanimously approved vote (419-0) to condemn Beijing for its efforts to "deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns."
The U.S. "seriously violated international norms"
China insists that the object was a civilian weather balloon that had drifted off course, without offering further details of its origins.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei reported that he rejected a call from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after the downing of the aircraft, claiming that Washington had "not created the proper atmosphere" for dialogue. According to a statement, the U.S. action had "seriously violated international norms and set a pernicious precedent."
Given that this irresponsible and seriously wrong approach by the U.S. did not create the proper atmosphere for dialogue and exchanges between the two militaries, China did not accept the U.S. proposal for a phone call between the two defense ministers.
House unanimously denounces China
The House resolution also calls on the Biden administration to report all developments in the investigation to Congress. Michael McCaul, a Republican representative from Texas and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, noted:
This resolution, I believe, sends a clear bipartisan signal to the CCP and our adversaries around the world that this action will not be tolerated.
Democratic head of the Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks said that "It is now up to Beijing to demonstrate not just to the United States but to the world that it is serious about respecting international rules and law."
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers believes China's motives for sending the spy balloon were intentional:
Make no mistake, that balloon was intentionally launched as a calculated show of force. We have to stop being naïve about the threat we face from China.
