Beijing Criticises US Shooting Down Observation Balloons

MNI (London)-The Chinese Foreign Ministry has implicitly criticised the US for its shooting down of a number of high-altitude balloons over the weekend. There has been no confirmation that the balloons were of Chinese origin. Senior diplomat Wang Yi stated that since the last year the Chinese gov't believes that US high-altitude balloons flew over Chinese airspace more than 10 times, adding that "China's way of handling such incidents is responsible and professional", implying that the US shooting down of these balloons is a reckless act.

• Separately, the foreign ministry has confirmed that Wang will embark on a European trip from 14-22 Feb, visiting France, Italy, Hungary, and Russia and attending the 59th Munich Security Conference in Germany.
• The foreign ministry has also defended the actions of its coast guard, which has caused a flare up in tensions with the Philippines. Manila has accused a Chinese coast guard vessel of blocking one of its ships seeking to resupply Philippines troops on an atoll in the South China Sea. The Philippines allege that the Chinese ship directed a 'military-grade laser' at their resupply vessel.