China threatens 'further actions' after US shoots down spy balloon off Carolina coast
5 February 2023, 12:53
China has threatened "further actions" after the US shot down a suspected spy balloon, with Beijing insisting it was a civilian aircraft and that the flyover an accident.
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President Joe Biden ordered the craft shot down on Saturday after it crossed over sensitive military sites across North America.
Pentagon officials say an F-22 fighter jet fired a missile at the balloon at 2.40pm EST (7.40pm GMT), puncturing it while it was off the coast near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The Navy is taking the lead in an operation to recover the remnants.
"They successfully took it down and I want to compliment our aviators who did it," Mr Biden said after getting off Air Force One en route to Camp David.
China responded that it reserved the right to "take further actions" and criticised the US for "an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice".
In its statement on Sunday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "China will resolutely uphold the relevant company's legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response."
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Read more: US shoots down Chinese 'spy balloon' off Carolina coast
China threatens response after US shoots down spy balloon
TV footage showed the craft descending toward the water following a small explosion.
Officials were aiming to time the recovery operation so they could gather as much of the debris as possible before it sank.
The balloon was first spotted on Wednesday over Montana, which is home to one of America's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
The Americans were able to collect intelligence on the balloon as it flew over the US, giving them a number of days to analyse it and learn how it moved and what it was capable of surveilling, a senior defence official said.
China has continued to claim that the balloon was merely a weather research "airship" that had been blown off course.
But the Pentagon rejected that out of hand - as well as China's contention that it was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.
The discovery of the suspected spy craft has been a severe blow to already strained relations between the two countries.
