China lodges "stern protest" after spy balloon shot down
President Joe Biden made headlines last weekend when he ordered that a Chinese spy balloon be shot down after it had already traversed the United States.
Yet although that move was seen as being long overdue by many of the president's critics, China's reaction has been far from positive.
China lodges "stern protest" over balloon response
According to Fox News, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning announced during a press conference on Wednesday that China "has lodged a stern protest" in response to Biden's actions.
"The Chinese side has repeatedly shared information on the unintended entry of the unmanned Chinese civilian airship into U.S. airspace," Mao was quoted as saying.
"I would like to stress that the U.S.’s downing of the unmanned Chinese civilian airship by force is unacceptable and irresponsible. The Chinese side has lodged a stern protest," she continued.
"I would also like to stress that exaggerating or hyping up the 'China threat' narrative is not conducive to building trust or improving ties between our two countries, nor can it make the U.S. safer," the Chinese government official insisted.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman calls for "mutual respect"
Later, Mao declared that "[a] healthy and stable China-US relationship is in the fundamental interest of both peoples, and meets the shared expectation of the international community."
"On China’s part, we will handle China-U.S. relations in accordance with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation proposed by President Xi Jinping," she said.
Mao's comments came in the wake of an earlier statement released by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last Sunday in which it said the country would "take further actions."
"China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response," Breitbart quoted the ministry as saying.
Republicans call for ban on sale of farmland to Chinese companies
Meanwhile, Chinese diplomat Zhang Meifang put out a mocking tweet in which she compared the United States to a distressed child.
Chinese diplomat Zhang Meifang: "Maybe China was simply giving the US a balloon. Much like one would give a child to make them feel better!" pic.twitter.com/QwuuwZN1eX
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 4, 2023
Growing tension with China has led to renewed focus on the purchase of farmland by Chinese companies. Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley recently announced that he will introduce legislation to ban the practice, something lawmakers in states like Arizona and South Dakota have already done.
What is abundantly clear after Biden’s Chinese spying debacle is that no Chinese corporation should be permitted to own American farmland. I’m introducing legislation to stop it. Protect American farmers
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) February 7, 2023
