The United States shot down the Chinese balloon, which had been hovering over the airspace for days, with a single shot with its F-22 fighter jet when it came over the sea. Reacting, Beijing condemned the US “use of violence against unmanned and civil aircraft”.
An American fifth-generation F-22 fighter jet crashed the alleged spy Chinese balloon, which was traveling from the western US state of Montana to the eastern tip of the country, as soon as it reached the ocean where the debris could harm no one. It was stated that the balloon that fell into the 14-meter-deep water and the observation devices it carried were rescued for examination. It has been learned that the remains of the balloon will be taken to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) laboratory in Virginia to be analyzed by intelligence experts.
THE VEHICLE WAS CIVILIAN ACCORDING TO CHINA
The balloon, the size of 3 buses, first entered the US airspace over Alaska on January 28, then flew over Canada for days, then crossed the US border again in Montana. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that with the presence of the balloon, China was “inadmissibly violating American sovereignty” and that downing the aircraft was “a just and appropriate response”. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry declared that it found the measure “excessive”. The Beijing administration argued that the balloon was civilian research equipment that had been blown off course by the wind.
US President Joe Biden
MANAGER IS FIRED
“We strongly protest the use of force by the United States against a civil unmanned aerial vehicle,” Beijing said in a statement. Defending that the intervention with the F-22 was “disproportionate”, the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned that “China will reserve the right to respond in line with its own rights and interests.” In the call made from Beijing to the USA on the first day of the bubble, it was stated that “Washington should handle the issue calmly, professionally and measuredly”. On the other hand, Chinese state media announced yesterday that the head of the country’s Meteorological Administration, Zhuang Guotai, was dismissed. According to policy experts speaking to American CNN, this is “a false move to strengthen Beijing’s arguments,” claiming that the bubble was for civilian purposes.
INFORMATION NOTE
– The Balloon was dropped on February 4 by order of US President Joe Biden. Upon the incident, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his Sunday visit to China.
