US Shoots Down Chinese Balloon — Agency

The US Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace in the area where the balloon was shot down until 05:15 p.m. local time Saturday

© Chase Doak/ via REUTERS

NEW YORK, February 4. /TASS/. The United States on Saturday downed a Chinese airship, which had flown into its airspace, over the Atlantic Ocean off the Carolina coast, and an operation is underway to recover debris from the balloon from the water, the Associated Press reported.

The operation was also confirmed by military sources to Fox News.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) closed airspace in the area where the balloon was shot down until 05:15 p.m. local time Saturday.

Earlier, US Department of Defense Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that an aerial object, presumed to be a Chinese spy balloon, had been spotted moving in the north of the country. In his words, the balloon "is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground." The US Department of Defense also pointed out that it was dangerous to shoot the balloon down due to its large size.

The spokesman added that after the balloon had been detected, the US government "acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information".

On Friday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson clarified that "the airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes." The spokesperson added, "Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course." The spokesperson also expressed regret that "force majeure" had led to the meteorological balloon getting into US airspace and said China was ready to stay in touch with the US authorities to resolve the situation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his visit to China due to the incident. On Saturday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing firmly opposed the US attempts "to attack and smear China" over the fact that a Chinese balloon had accidentally entered US airspace.