China Responds To U.S. Military Shooting Down Spy Balloon

The Chinese The U.S. military shot down its spy satellite over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday. The foreign ministry responded by saying that it was not a civilian object and that the country was very upset by the incident.

An F-22 Raptor destroyed the spy balloon using one A9X sidewinder rocket. The missile was fired from an altitude of 58,000 feet. The spy balloon flew thousands of miles over the continental United States in the last few days. President Joe Biden was the one who made the decision to shoot it down.

“China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and protest against the US’s use of force to attack civilian unmanned aircraft,” According to the statement. “The Chinese side has repeatedly informed the US side after verification that the airship is for civilian use and entered the US due to force majeure – it was completely an accident.”

“China clearly asked the US to handle it properly in a calm, professional and restrained manner. A spokesman for the US Department of Defense also stated that the balloon will not pose a military or personal threat to ground personnel,” The statement was continued. “China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of relevant companies, while reserving the right to make further necessary reaction.”

Biden attempted to win a victory lap after the spy balloon was shot. He claimed that he “ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible,” However, it was decided not to shoot it over land as debris could cause injury if it landed on the ground.

U.S. officials were reportedly “well aware” that the balloon had crossed into American airspace on January 28 and that it was over Idaho on Tuesday, but decided not to inform the public to not upend Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s diplomatic trip to China.

Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense  That the spy ballon was sent by the U.S. “in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States.”

Biden was confronted with intense Examine carefully from top lawmakers who said that the spy balloon should have been shot down last month when it crossed over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

This report has been updated to add additional information. 

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