英语新闻｜外交部就美方宣称击落中国无人飞艇发表声明

Beijing "expresses its strong dissatisfaction and protest over the use of armed force by the US side" to attack a civilian unmanned airship from China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in statement issued on Sunday.A Chinese unmanned airship was spotted in the airspace above the United States earlier this week before Washington claimed it shot down the airship on Saturday.中方对美方使用武力袭击民用无人飞艇表示强烈不满和抗议。中方经核查后已多次告知美方，该飞艇属民用性质，因不可抗力进入美国，完全是意外情况。中方明确要求美方以冷静、专业、克制方式妥善处理。美国防部发言人也表示，该气球不会对地面人员构成军事和人身威胁。在此情况下，美方执意动用武力，明显反应过度，严重违反国际惯例。中方将坚决维护有关企业的正当权益，同时保留作出进一步必要反应的权利。The Foreign Ministry said in its statement that China, after completing verification, "has informed the US side multiple times the airship is for civilian use and it entered the US due to force majeure, constituting a completely unintended situation".China has clearly requested the US handle the situation properly in a calm, professional and restrained manner, the ministry said.The Pentagon's spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said on Thursday the airship "does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground"."Under such a circumstance, the US side's persistence in using armed force is an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice," the statement said.China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the enterprise concerned while reserving its right to make further necessary responses, it added.记者：张陨璧来源：外交部官网 中国日报网