So it was decided to wait until the airship was over the sea. The Department of Defense in Washington described the Chinese action, which is said to be aimed at spying on “strategic sites”, as unacceptable.
Biden commended the pilots who got the job done. A fighter jet fired a missile, which a defense official said caused no additional damage. Here is the moment the balloon hits:
After the discovery last week, dropping a balloon the size of three buses was already being considered, but Biden followed advice not to do so. Debris may cause damage on the ground. The balloon that fell into the ocean crashes east of Myrtle Beach Airport in South Carolina. US media reported that teams were on their way to secure the wreck.
The Angolan Armed Forces had previously closed three airports on the east coast “in support of the Ministry of Defense’s work for national security”. They were released after the operation.
“We’ll deal with it,” Biden said of the balloon earlier in the day, without elaborating. China said earlier that the balloon deviated from its track due to force majeure. The state said it regretted the incident. The airship, as the Chinese called it, mainly served meteorological purposes, but according to Washington, the airship contained all kinds of observational equipment.
Five continents
However, according to experts, the balloon has little to offer from satellites. According to the United States, the airship will be part of a fleet that has surveyed five continents.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his planned visit to China because the issue would define dialogue between the two world powers too much. China says it strictly adheres to international rules. In a phone conversation with Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed “how to handle unintended incidents calmly and professionally.”
