The US president, Joe Biden, assumed that he gave the order to the Air Force combat planes to shoot down this Saturday the alleged Chinese spy balloon that had been flying over US territory since Tuesday.
According to military sources, an operation is underway to recover the remains of the balloon that fell over the waters off the east coast of the United States, when it was flying at an altitude of 60,000 feet.
“They successfully shot down (the balloon) and I want to congratulate our pilots who did it,” Biden said, thanking the Air Force.
Throughout the day, government sources had already admitted the possibility that the balloon was shot down and air traffic had already been restricted at three airports in the southeastern United States.
US media cite sources reporting seeing the balloon being shot down, after several fighter jets flew over the area where it was located on the east coast, having been “hit by a missile or similar device”.
Initially, the Pentagon (US Department of Defense) recommended that no action be taken against the balloon, for security reasons, alleging that the debris could fall on the population.
As soon as the balloon flew over the Atlantic Ocean, it was shot down.
The presence of this Chinese device -which the US authorities admitted to be a surveillance device- in US airspace caused the most recent diplomatic crisis between Washington and Beijing and led to the suspension of the trip planned by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. to go to China.
Beijing has admitted that the balloon belongs to it, but guarantees that it is “a civilian device for meteorological purposes.”
“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 today.
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
