China insists the balloon was just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and had only limited “self-steering” capabilities. It also issued a threat of “further actions”.
In a statement after the craft was shot down, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the use of force was “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice”, adding: ”China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests”.
But the US maintains it was a Chinese spy balloon without a doubt.
According to the Biden administration, the China balloon shot down was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals as part of a huge, military-linked aerial surveillance program that targeted more than 40 countries, the Biden administration declared Thursday, citing imagery from American U-2 spy planes.
