Authorities from Beijing have condemned the United States government after the American military deployed fighter jets on Saturday to shoot down a Chinese high-altitude balloon hovering over the Atlantic Ocean that was suspected to be a spy balloon.
On Saturday, US President Joe Biden approved the shooting down of the balloon, saying that his administration was going to "take care" of it. The next day, the Pentagon noted that the balloon did not pose a military or political threat.
China's High-Altitude Balloon
After the US military shot down the Chinese balloon, Navy and Coast Guard vessels scoured the ocean area for its debris. These were found and taken to an FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis by the agency's experts and intelligence agencies.
After the incident, Chinese officials released a statement on Sunday expressing their "strong dissatisfaction and protest" against Washington's decision. China's Foreign Ministry reiterated that they requested the American government to handle the situation calmly, professionally, and restrainedly, as per CNN.
They added that Beijing will "resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of relevant companies while reserving the right to make a further necessary reaction." Following the balloon being shot down, the head of China's weather service was relieved of his duty. This is seen as Beijing's attempt to masquerade the high-altitude balloon as of civilian nature.
The official, identified as Zhuang Guotai, was the head of the China Meteorological Administration, and his departure was somewhat anticipated. Last month, he was elected the head of the western Gansu province's People's Political Consultative Committee, the local political advisory body.
Authorities from the Colombian Air Force said that they detected an object that had characteristics similar to a balloon on February 3, a few hours after the US military shot down the Chinese balloon.
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Condemnation From Beijing
Lawmakers from both sides of the government questioned how the high-altitude balloon was allowed to pass over the United States. Furthermore, Republicans blamed the Biden administration for not acting on the matter sooner, according to the New York Times.
In a statement, Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton said that the US government should have shot down the Chinese balloon over the Aleutians. He argued that they should not have let it float across middle America for as long as it had.
The lawmaker added that the idea of letting a spy balloon complete its mission over the United States is an embarrassment to the country. On the other hand, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker praised the US military for their operation to shoot down the balloon.
He described the incident as a decision centered on protecting human life but cautioned that it should not have happened at all. During an interview, he said that this type of incursion should not even occur in the United States in the first place.
Several China experts are sharing their expectations of Beijing's next moves following the US military's operation against the high-altitude balloon. In a phone interview, Heino Klinck, the former Deputy Assistant of Defense for East Asia, said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would accuse the US of being provocative and "taking kinetic action to remove this Chinese aircraft from American airspace" said Fox News.
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