Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.
China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticised the US for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice”.
Following the incident, Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response”.
China’s Ministry of Defense echoed the statement later in the afternoon, saying it “reserves the right to take necessary measures to deal with similar situations”.
