Suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the US
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The unmanned Chinese airship that entered US airspace was an accident caused by “force majeure,” a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
The foreign ministry spokesperson said maintaining “contact and communication at all levels” was an important common understanding reached by the Chinese and US presidents at their meeting in Bali — a reference to the three-hour meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.
“This is entirely an unexpected situation caused by force majeure and the facts are very clear,” the spokesperson said.
“Force Majeure” is a legal term which means “greater force”. It excuses a party from liability if an unforeseen event, such as a natural catastrophe, prevents it from performing its obligations under the contract.
“It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course,” the spokesperson said.
Repeating earlier comments, the spokesperson added: “China always acts in strict accordance with international law and respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. We have no intention to violate and have never violated the territory or airspace of any sovereign country. Some politicians and media in the US have hyped it up to attack and smear China. The Chinese side is firmly opposed to that.”
Some background: The Pentagon earlier on Friday flatly denied the Chinese government’s claim that the balloon serves a civilian research purpose, saying that the US knows it is a “surveillance balloon.”