A handout photo taken by Chase Doak on February 1, 2023, and released the next day, shows a suspected Chinese spy balloon drifting over Billings, Montana. The image, distributed by AFP, captured the craft as it hovered in the sky.
Beijing on Sunday condemned the Pentagon’s decision to shoot down the alleged Chinese spy balloon, accusing the United States of “clearly overreacting and seriously violating international practice.” The Chinese foreign ministry’s statement said China “expresses strong dissatisfaction and protests against the use of force by the United States to attack the unmanned civilian airship,” and warned that it would “reserve the right to make further necessary responses.”
The balloon had spent several days flying over North America, heightening tensions between Washington and Beijing. On Saturday, a missile fired from an F‑22 jet brought it down, according to Pentagon officials. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin described the operation as a “deliberate and lawful action” taken in response to China’s “unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”
American officials first announced on Thursday that they were tracking a large Chinese “surveillance balloon” in U.S. airspace. The revelation prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a rare trip to Beijing that had been intended to ease rising U.S.–China tensions. After initial hesitation, Beijing admitted ownership of the “airship,” but claimed it was a weather balloon blown off course.
On Sunday, the Chinese foreign ministry reiterated that it had “clearly requested that the United States properly handle the matter in a calm, professional and restrained manner.” It accused the United States of insisting on the use of force, “clearly overreacting and seriously violating international practice.” The ministry added that China “will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of relevant enterprises and reserve the right to make further necessary responses.”
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