The story of the Chinese spy balloon in US airspace continued.
It became known that the balloon was shot down off the American coast in the state of South Carolina and an operation is now underway to search and collect its debris. The fighter was lifted into the air.
The agency published a message about this. The media also published a statement by the head of the US Department of Defense, Lloyd Austin.
A senior official clarified that the Chinese balloon was shot down by an American fighter and that the device was conducting surveillance of local strategic objects.
It is also reported that President Biden ordered the balloon to be dealt with, demanding that it avoid creating a threat to the civilian population.
Let us remind you that a suspicious object was discovered last Thursday.
The probe ended up in US airspace after it flew through Canada from the Aleutian Islands.
His movements were monitored by US aerospace defense specialists.
A statement soon followed that the spy balloon belonged to the PRC; the White House administration called the situation unacceptable and postponed the upcoming visit of the head of the US State Department, Antony Blinken, to Beijing.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, commenting on the situation, said that the balloon deviated from its course due to strong winds, urged not to speculate on this topic, and added that Beijing regrets. The US reaction was called “excessive”.
