On Saturday, the United States shot down a Chinese balloon that had been flying over US territory since Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed.
The operation was carried out by the US Air Force on the coasts of the states of North Carolina and South Carolina, according to international organizations. Reuters Is Associated Pressciting anonymous US military officials.
This afternoon, the Government headed by Joe Biden had ordered the suspension of all flights in the region and the closure of the Wilmington, Charleston and Myrtle Beach airports for reasons of “national security”.
The remains of the balloon, which will have fallen into the Atlantic Ocean, will now be collected by the Coast Guard, which also this afternoon had asked all those responsible for boats to leave the area due to a Defense operation “representing a relevant danger”. “.
The US government had already admitted the possibility of shooting down the alleged Chinese spy balloon that was flying over the country and even Joe Biden claimed to be “handling” the matter.
The Chinese government continues to insist that the presence of the balloon over US territory is due to an accident, alleging that it is a civilian investigation device.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs attributed the situation to an event of “force majeure”, admitting that it forced a system of “constant contacts and communication” between the two countries, agreed upon jointly by the presidents, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, to clear up any kind of misunderstanding.
“This situation was completely unexpected, but the facts are very clear. It is a civilian device for meteorological purposes,” a spokesman for Chinese diplomacy insisted again, in recent hours.
This spokesperson added that the device was affected by the currents generated by the westerly winds in the central areas of the planet and that, “because its maneuverability is very limited, it ended up deviating a lot from its expected trajectory.”
“China has always acted in strict accordance with international law and respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. We have no intention to violate and have never violated the territory or airspace of any sovereign country,” Chinese diplomacy said.
Source: TSF
