The United States has shot down a Chinese spy balloon that was allegedly snooping on military installations around the country.
The Department of Defense announced that its fighter jets shot down the balloon above US territory.
Later, China’s foreign ministry expressed “deep discontent and protest against the United States’ use of force to target civilian unmanned aircraft.”
Following a tiny explosion, the balloon fell into the ocean, as captured by US television networks.
At 14:39 EST (19:39 GMT), an F-22 jet fighter fired one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at the high-altitude balloon. Causing it to crash six nautical miles off the US coast, according to a defense official.
Defense officials told US media the debris landed in shallower water than expected near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The military is currently attempting to retrieve seven miles of scattered debris (11km). Two naval vessels, one of which is equipped with a large crane for salvage, are in the region.
The US fires down a Chinese balloon
A senior US defense official stated in a Pentagon statement that “although we took all precautions to prevent the PRC [China] surveillance balloon from collecting sensitive material, the surveillance balloon’s overflight of US territory was of intelligence value to us.
“We were able to examine and analyze the balloon and its equipment, which was beneficial,” the official said.
Since Thursday, when defense authorities initially disclosed that they were tracking it, US President Joe Biden had been under pressure to shoot it down.
Mr. Biden stated afterward, “They successfully brought it down, and I want to commend our aviators who accomplished it.”
A few hours later, the Chinese foreign ministry issued the following statement. “The Chinese side has repeatedly notified the US side, after verification. That the airship is for civilian use and entered the United States due to force majeure – it was an accident.”
The discovery of the balloon precipitated a diplomatic crisis, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceling this weekend’s trip to China in response to the “reckless act.”
The Chinese government claims a weather ship was blown off course, not a surveillance plane.
In response to the event, Taiwan’s foreign ministry issued the following statement: “A civilized international community cannot tolerate the Chinese Communist Party government’s activities that violate international law and violate the airspace and sovereignty of other countries.”
Taiwan considers itself independent
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province that will ultimately fall under Beijing’s sovereignty. President Xi Jinping has not ruled out the use of force to accomplish this objective.
However, Taiwan considers itself independent, having its constitution and freely chosen authorities.
President Biden first approved the plan to shoot down the balloon on Wednesday, but the Pentagon said it would wait until the device was over water to avoid putting civilians on land in danger.
As part of a “national security endeavor”, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted all civilian flights at three airports along the South Carolina coast on Saturday afternoon, laying the groundwork for the operation.
The coast guard also warned ships to evacuate the region due to “very hazardous” military actions.
Hayley Walsh, a witness on the coast, told that she observed three fighter planes hovering before the missile was launched. After which “we heard a tremendous boom and the house rocked.”
A senior military officer told CNN that debris collection should be “very simple” and “very little time.” The person stated that “competent Navy divers” may be deployed to assist with the mission.
China attempted to downplay the cancellation of his visit
Officials from the Department of Defense disclosed on Saturday that the balloon initially entered American territory on January 28 near the Aleutian Islands, then moved to Canadian airspace for three days, and then returned to American airspace on January 31. The U.S. state of Montana is home to several critical nuclear missile bases, where the item was sighted.
The Pentagon called the event a “unacceptable breach” of US sovereignty, worsening US-China relations.
Mr. Blinken, America’s top diplomat, told Beijing that it was an “irresponsible act” before his now-canceled trip on February 5-6. Which would have been the first high-level US-China encounter in years.
However, China attempted to downplay the cancellation of his visit, claiming in a statement released on Saturday that neither party had formally announced a travel plan.
China’s foreign ministry stated that Beijing “would not accept any baseless speculation or hyperbole” and accused “some politicians and media outlets in the United States” of using the incident “as an excuse to criticize and slander China.”
The Pentagon announced on Friday that a second Chinese surveillance balloon had been seen. This time over Latin America, with sightings recorded over Costa Rica and Venezuela.
On February 3, the Colombian Air Force sighted a balloon-like object over 55,000 feet.
It said the object was followed until it departed airspace and presented no threat to national security.
China has not yet made a public statement regarding the second alleged balloon.
