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BEIJING/WASHINGTON — China mentioned on Monday that U.S. excessive altitude balloons had flown over its airspace with out permission greater than 10 occasions because the starting of 2022, drawing a swift denial from Washington.

China’s accusation widened a dispute with america that started after the U.S. army shot down on Feb. 4 what it says was a Chinese language spy balloon, whose look prompted prime U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken to cancel a visit to Beijing designed to ease tensions.

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Since then, the U.S. army has shot down three different flying objects over North America, most not too long ago on Sunday, when an octagonal object was downed over Lake Huron, the Pentagon mentioned.

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“Since final yr, the U.S.’ high-altitude balloons have undergone greater than 10 unlawful flights into Chinese language airspace with out the approval of the related Chinese language departments,” Chinese language overseas ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin mentioned at an everyday briefing in Beijing in response to a query.

Wang didn’t particularly describe the balloons as army, or for espionage functions and didn’t present additional particulars.

The White Home promptly denied China’s accusation, which Nationwide Safety Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson dismissed as an effort at injury management by Beijing. “Any declare that the U.S. authorities operates surveillance balloons over the PRC (Individuals’s Republic of China) is fake,” she mentioned in a press release.

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“It’s China that has a excessive altitude surveillance balloon program for intelligence assortment, linked to the Individuals’s Liberation Military, that it has used to violate the sovereignty of america and over 40 nations throughout 5 continents.”

China has failed to supply “any credible explanations” for the intrusions, she added.

Earlier, nationwide safety spokesman John Kirby advised MSNBC in an interview: “Simply completely not true. We aren’t flying balloons over China.”

The U.S. Protection Division didn’t reply to a request for remark.

China’s assertion comes after america shot down what it known as a Chinese language surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4 after it had drifted throughout the continental United States for days.

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China mentioned the balloon was a civilian analysis craft that had mistakenly blown off target and accused america of overreacting.

Chinese language overseas ministry’s Wang mentioned he had no info on the newest three objects shot down by america.

Gregory Poling, an Indo-Pacific maritime safety skilled at Washington’s Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research assume tank, mentioned he was not conscious of any U.S. use of balloons for surveillance, though he added “I think none of us would know for certain.”

He famous that China considers the airspace over Taiwan, over territory it disputes with Japan, and far if not the entire South China Sea to be its territorial air area.

(Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard in Beijing, Trevor Hunnicutt, Doina Chiacu and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Writing by Tony Munroe; Modifying by Alex Richardson, Sharon Singleton, Nick Zieminski and Marguerita Choy)