February 4, 2023 23:59
Sources and media reports said that the United States shot down a Chinese airship over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina, today, Saturday.
And US media added that the United States will organize an operation to recover the wreckage of the balloon.
The balloon was spotted on Wednesday while flying over the United States.
US President Joe Biden, earlier today, Saturday, made statements about the balloon for the first time.
Biden said the US would “take over” the balloon, without elaborating.
Biden’s statement came in response to a question about whether the United States would shoot down the balloon flying around the country in what Washington describes as a “clear violation” of American sovereignty.
Beijing acknowledged that the balloon belonged to it, but confirmed that it was “a civilian mechanism used for research purposes, especially for meteorology.”
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the mechanism had “deviated from its course,” expressing his country’s “regret” for this “unintentional” violation of US airspace.
Today, Saturday, the ministry stated that the balloon’s flight over the United States was due to force majeure, and accused US media of exploiting the accident to discredit China.
The Pentagon said that another Chinese balloon was spotted over Latin America, without specifying its exact location.
Source: agencies
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