China strongly condemned the US for shooting down a suspected high-altitude surveillance balloon, which it alleged was a weather balloon that unintentionally strayed off course.
China’s Condemnation
A statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday said that Beijing “strongly disapproves” Washington’s “attack on a civilian unmanned airship by force.”
Arguing that the Chinese government had verified the “civilian nature of the airship” and “repeatedly informed” the US side regarding the same, it asserted that the balloon’s entry into the US airspace “due to force majeure was totally unexpected.”
It called the US’ move “a clear overreaction” and “serious violation of international practice,” and asked the Biden administration to “properly handle the matter in a calm, professional and restrained manner.”
The ministry stressed that China will “resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the company concerned,” and may “make further responses” if it deems necessary.
“The Navy has deployed the destroyer USS Oscar Austin, the cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the USS Carter Hall, an amphibious landing ship in support of the effort.”https://t.co/iUH9EsWFcR
— U.S. Fleet Forces (@USFleetForces) February 4, 2023
On Friday, the Ministry had acknowledged that the balloon was a Chinese “civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes.”
It regretted the “unintended entry of the airship into US airspace,” which had occurred due to the balloon’s “limited self-steering capability.”
Balloon Shot Down
On Saturday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced that an F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft had “safely” shot down the high-altitude surveillance balloon from China.
The balloon landed six miles off the coast of South Carolina and no injuries were reported.
Although President Joe Biden had ordered the takedown on Wednesday, the move had to be delayed “until the balloon was over water off the coast” to ensure no civilians on the ground are harmed.
BREAKING: The US military shoots down Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean pic.twitter.com/xDg6FAW0aR
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) February 4, 2023
Austin said that the “deliberate and lawful action” was a reflection of the Biden administration “responding effectively” to China’s “unacceptable violation” of US sovereignty.
Without providing further details, Austin added that the US was “able to study and scrutinise the balloon and its equipment,” calling the opportunity to do so “valuable.” A search for debris is also currently underway.
The statement also thanked Canada for its “contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon” as it transited North America.
China’s Claim “False”
Austin added that China’s claim that the high-altitude balloon was “a runaway weather balloon… that was blown off course” is “false.”
The high-ranking official stressed that the balloon was intended to carry out surveillance purposes and had “purposely traversed” the US. “We are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites,” he underscored.
If you guys think the Chinese spy balloon was bad… Just wait until you find out about TikTok. While I understand the outrage about someone violating our airspace the Chinese government has been doing this for years on millions of phones throughout the country. Wake up America.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 5, 2023
The Pentagon noted that such a balloon had been spotted “a handful of other times over the past few years,” and this was not the first such sighting over the continental US.
However, it remarked that the latest balloon appeared “to hang out for a longer period of time” and is “more persistent than in previous instances.”