The Chinese balloon as it passed over Montana, the United States, on February 2, 2023. — AFP/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has not detected the presence of any Chinese balloons in its airspace, the Vietnamese foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Asked about whether Việt Nam has recorded similar incidents to the Chinese balloon over the United States territory that has strained the relations between the two superpowers, deputy spokesperson for the ministry Đoàn Khắc Việt said he has not been made aware of any reports of sighting of alien balloons in Vietnamese skies.

“I strongly believe that the Vietnamese authorities are fully capable of ensuring the security of Việt Nam’s airspace, sea, and land,” Việt said.

“As far as I’m aware, the balloon spotted over the United States was huge, and the American people could see it with bare eyes, so I’m sure that if there were such a balloon over Việt Nam, you would be able to see it for yourself,” he added.

Concerning the relations between the United States and China over the balloon issues, Việt Nam hopes that the two countries will soon resolve disagreements based on dialogues and the United Nations Charter, as well as international laws contributing to the regional and international peace, stability, cooperation, and development, Việt remarked.

China maintains the balloon’s nature was purely civilian and used for weather research and that its entry into the US air territory was “force majeure.”

China has expressed dissatisfaction after a US fighter jet shot it down above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina earlier this week, claiming it to be a surveillance balloon.

The US military is attempting to recover the debris from the balloon to determine its surveillance capabilities. — VNS