China accuses the US of lying to the world about spy surveillance planes

China has accused the United States of lying to the world after the House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution condemning Beijing’s comments about a surveillance spy balloon hovering over North America.

“China is very unhappy with this and strongly opposes it,” State Department spokesman Mao Ning said during a daily briefing on Friday, accusing US lawmakers of “hyping the balloon” for “purely political manipulation.”

The stern statement came the day after Republicans and Democrats united in a 419-0 vote to condemn Beijing for a “brazen violation” of US sovereignty and efforts to “shame the international community by making false claims about its campaigns.” to deceive to gather information”.

House Republicans also criticized the Biden administration for not acting sooner to shoot down the plane as it floated from Montana to South Carolina, though defense officials said they disabled its surveillance capabilities.

REPUBLICANS DEMAND JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TO RESIGN AFTER ‘CATASTROPHIC CHINESE SPY BALLOON SPECTACLE’

Tan Kefei, spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry, attends a press conference at the venue of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Nov. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

After the balloon was spotted and photos circulated online, the Chinese government claimed the object was a civilian weather balloon that went off course.

Beijing has failed to provide any additional information, including the balloon’s self-piloting capabilities or its modern signals surveillance techniques, which “were able to collect signals intelligence,” using multiple antennas and other devices designed to upload sensitive information and solar panels to power them , US officials said.

The US also said the balloon is linked to a major Chinese military surveillance program that includes the deployment of similar aircraft to more than 40 countries led by the People’s Liberation Army. According to the US, similar balloons have sailed across five continents

A State Department official said the balloon maker has “a direct relationship with the Chinese military and is an approved supplier” to the army.

State-run defense conglomerate China Electronics Technology Group said in 2021 that radars and other devices designed to intercept and jam telecommunications could be attached to its JY400 balloon.

CHINA CLAIMS CONGRESS HAS ‘DRAMATIZED’ SPIRY FLIGHTS WITH TWO-PARTY DISSOLUTION

Hovering between 60,000 and 80,000 feet above the Earth, the balloon completed its journey across the United States, flying over or near several US military bases before the Air Force shot it down off the Carolinas coast.

On Saturday afternoon, an F-22 downed the balloon carrying a single A9X missile off territorial waters off the coast of South Carolina. The plane was sent to the FBI’s lab in Quantico, Virginia.

After initially expressing “regret” over the incident, China has ramped up its rhetoric against the US over “irresponsible and seriously wrong action by the US.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Jan. 30, 2023. (Lee Jin-Man – Pool/Getty Images)

After the US shot down the plane, China’s defense ministry said it turned down a call from US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin because the US had “not created the right atmosphere” for dialogue.

MATT GAETZ CALLS ON BIDEN TO BLOW UP TIKTOK AFTER US MILITARY SHUT DOWN SUSPECTED CHINESE SPY BALLOON

The US is “seriously violating international norms and setting a harmful precedent,” ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said Thursday.

“Given that this irresponsible and seriously wrong approach by the US has not created the right atmosphere for dialogue and exchanges between the two militaries, China has not accepted the US proposal for a phone call between the two defense ministers,” Tan continued.

In this photo provided by Chad Fish, a large balloon floats over the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, February 4, with a fighter jet and its contrail below. (Chad Fish via AP)

Tan also said China “reserves the right to use the necessary means to deal with similar situations.”

Beijing said the US “overreacted” in its decision to shoot down the plane, saying US claims the espionage was “part of the US side’s information warfare against China”.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A Chinese naval fleet takes off from a military port in Zhoushan, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Dec. 20, 2022 for an upcoming joint naval exercise between China and Russia. (LiLi Yun/Xinhua via Getty Images Yun/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Chinese Navy warships participate in a joint naval exercise, Joint Sea 2022, in the East China Sea on Dec. 21, 2022. Chinese and Russian navies launched a joint naval exercise, Joint Sea 2022, in the East China Sea on Wednesday. (Li Yun/Xinhua via Getty Images)

After the US spotted the surveillance plane, Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned trip to Beijing to help stabilize bilateral relations. The relationship has become increasingly strained over trade and human rights abuses, as well as China’s threats against Taiwan and the increasingly aggressive actions of the Chinese military in the South China Sea.

The US and China continue to argue over the balloon’s capabilities.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.