China urges U.S. to resolve damage its abuse of force has done to bilateral ties

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- China urges the U.S. side to demonstrate sincerity, rectify its wrongdoing, and acknowledge and resolve the damage its abuse of force has done to China-U.S. relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to a query about U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent statement related to the China's airship issue.

Wang said that China has explicitly told the United States multiple times that the entry of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship into the U.S. airspace was an entirely unintended, unexpected and isolated event caused by force majeure.

"We have repeatedly asked the U.S. side to properly handle the matter in a calm, professional and restrained manner," Wang said.

However, the United States ignored facts and fabricated the "spy balloon" narrative, Wang said, adding U.S. President Biden personally gave the order to brazenly shoot down a civilian airship by firing a missile from an advanced fighter jet. "This is a hundred percent an abuse of force, act of hysteria and overreaction. It gravely violates customary international practice and relevant international conventions," he said.

Wang said that instead of reflecting on and acknowledging what it has done wrong, the United States chose to smear and attack China, sanction Chinese companies and keep escalating the situation.

Noting those irresponsible remarks made by Secretary Blinken were a clear misrepresentation of the facts, Wang pointed out that it is the United States who is the number one country in the world in violating other countries' sovereignty, breaking international law and massively eavesdropping and spying on other countries. "We strongly condemn the egregious behavior of the United States and have repeatedly protested it strongly to the U.S. side," he said.

Wang mentioned that U.S. President Biden has pledged openly many times that the United States does not seek a new Cold War with China and that it has no intention to seek a conflict with China, adding that it is hoped that as the leader of a major country, President Biden will keep his word rather than say one thing but do another.

"We once again urge the U.S. side to demonstrate sincerity, rectify its wrongdoing, and acknowledge and resolve the damage its abuse of force has done to China-U.S. relations," he said.

Quoting a Chinese saying that it's inappropriate not to reciprocate, Wang said that if the U.S. side continues to fuss over, dramatize and escalate the crisis, it should not expect the Chinese side to flinch and should be prepared to bear all potential consequences.