A U.S. fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese spy blimp above the Atlantic Ocean off the South Carolina coast Saturday, ending a three-day spectacle that dominated headlines and created an international incident.
The operation took place at the direction of President Joe Biden in U.S. airspace as the balloon drifted over the water. Senior defence officials said the balloon was successfully downed by a single missile at 2:39 p.m. “I told them to shoot it down,” Biden told reporters, during a travel stop in Hagerstown, Md. on the way to Camp David.
Downing the large, slow-moving balloon over the ocean reduced the risk of falling debris causing damage or casualties, a concern that military commanders had earlier in the week as it drifted eastward across the country. “Our number one concern was how we can take this down, while not creating undue risk to people or property,” a senior defence official told reporters.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement late Saturday condemning the strike. “The U.S. use of force is a clear overreaction and a serious violation of international practice,” the statement said. “China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the company concerned, and reserves the right to make further responses if necessary.”
The Federal Aviation Administration restricted airspace Saturday afternoon over three cities in North and South Carolina as military assets moved into position. The balloon was flying at roughly 60,000 feet, an altitude about twice that of normal civilian air traffic. In the aftermath of the unmanned balloon being shot down, U.S. officials say, the U.S.Navy and Coast Guard have sent multiple ships to retrieve the wreckage to obtain insights into its surveillance payload—what’s described as a basket of equipment under the craft.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken has postponed an official visit to China after this suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted flying over the US, Washington said. “The presence of this balloon in our airspace is a violation of our sovereignty,” an official said. China claimed that the flying apparatus had strayed into US airspace and was used for “mainly meteorological” purposes.
