China claimed to be a victim of a double standard on Monday pertaining to press coverage of rocket debris that plummeted into the Indian Ocean after causing a worldwide stir.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying defended the regime’s handling of the Long March 5B, the core of which plunged into the water near the Maldive Islands at about 2:24 a.m. on Sunday local time. Chunying, citing an early April launch by SpaceX that saw debris hit the Washington and Oregon coasts, claimed Beijing was being treated unfairly after a wave of press coverage and backlash from space authorities.
“China has been closely tracking its trajectory and issued statements on the reentry situation in advance,” Chunying said, according to the Associated Press. “There has been no report of harm on the ground. China also shares the results of reentry predictions through international cooperation mechanisms.”
“American media used romantic rhetoric like ‘shooting stars lighting up the night sky,’” Chunying said of the SpaceX debris. “But when it comes to the Chinese side, it’s a completely different approach. We are willing to work with other countries including the United States to strengthen cooperation in the use of outer space, but we also oppose double standards on this issue.”
CHINESE OFFICIALS SAY ROCKET DEBRIS LANDED IN INDIAN OCEAN
The Chinese debris crashed into Earth at approximately 18,000 miles per hour after officials projected it may strike New York, Madrid, or Beijing in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Chile or Wellington, New Zealand, in the Southern Hemisphere.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson scolded the communist country for “failing to meet responsible standards” on Saturday.
“Spacefaring nations must minimize the risks to people and property on Earth of re-entries of space objects and maximize transparency regarding those operations,” he said in a statement. “It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris. It is critical that China and all spacefaring nations and commercial entities act responsibly and transparently in space to ensure the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of outer space activities.”
Similarly, Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer, called the incident “reckless.”
“An ocean reentry was always statistically the most likely. It appears China won its gamble (unless we get news of debris in the Maldives),” he said after the debris landed. “But it was still reckless.”
The expected fall of the 22.5-metric-ton piece of space debris led some to express concern about potential damages.
“I think, by current standards, it’s unacceptable to let it reenter uncontrolled,” McDowell said. “Since 1990, nothing over 10 tons has been deliberately left in orbit to reenter uncontrolled.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Despite the concerns, the Defense Department vowed on Wednesday not to shoot down and break up the 46,000-pound debris.
“There are too many factors to take into account this early, such as the atmospheric conditions and the exact angle of the object as it enters the atmosphere,” a Space Command spokesperson said.
