Washington shot down the Chinese balloon which had been flying over the United States for several days on Saturday, several American media reported.
The balloon, which the Pentagon claims was a spy balloon, was shot down by the US military off the east coast of the United States, according to Fox News and CNN. On videos broadcast by television channels, the ball seemed to fall vertically.
An “involuntary” violation according to China
Shortly before, air traffic had been suspended at three airports in the southeastern United States as a “national security” measure, announced the American civil aviation regulator (FAA). It was one airport in North Carolina and two in South Carolina. On Saturday morning, US President Joe Biden said that the United States would “deal” with this ball.
Beijing acknowledged that it was indeed a device from China, but assured that it was a “civilian aircraft, used for research purposes, mainly meteorological”. The machine would have “deviated from its trajectory”, added a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing the “regrets” of his country for this “involuntary” violation of American airspace.