6th February 2023 – (Beijing) Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, specifically for managing China’s relationship with the United States, Xie Feng was ordered to represent the Chinese government on Sunday (5th) to make stern representations to the head of the U.S. embassy in China over the US military attack on Chinese civilian unmanned airship.
China expressed strong dissatisfaction and opposition towards the U.S. use of force to attack China’s civilian unmanned airship, Chinese Foreign Ministry said Sunday in a statement.
The Chinese side has, after verification, repeatedly informed the U.S. side of the civilian nature of the airship and conveyed that its entry into the United States due to force majeure was totally unexpected, the statement said, noting the Chinese side has clearly asked the U.S. side to properly handle the matter in a calm, professional and restrained manner.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday when answering a relevant query that the civilian airship is used for research, mainly meteorological purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course.