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BEIJING—China alleged that the U.S. had flown high-altitude balloons through its airspace more than 10 times since the start of 2022, adding fuel to an escalating diplomatic standoff between the countries that has derailed efforts to reset relations.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily press briefing on Monday that U.S. balloons regularly flew through other countries’ airspace without permission. It is the first time that China has made such an accusation since a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted over the U.S. earlier this month and later shot down off the coast of South Carolina.
“The first thing the U.S. needs to do is change its ways and reflect on itself, and not to smear and incite confrontation,” Mr. Wang told reporters.
Mr. Wang didn’t provide details on how China responded to the alleged U.S. balloon flights at the time beyond saying that China had dealt with the matter responsibly and professionally. He said the U.S. had acted illegally, without elaborating on whose laws the balloons may have flouted and in what way.
The Pentagon and State Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
China has repeatedly said that the U.S. overreacted by shooting down the Chinese balloon, which the Foreign Ministry has described as a civilian balloon for weather research that blew off course. U.S. officials reject this explanation and say they are confident the balloon was for surveillance purposes and that it flew over multiple sensitive sites in the U.S.
