The U.S. shot down an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday, capping days of waiting as it traversed the country and injected new tension into relations with China.
President Joe Biden said he ordered the Pentagon on Wednesday to down the balloon as soon as possible “without doing damage to anyone on the ground.” The military decided the best window was on Saturday while it was over the Atlantic within U.S. territorial waters.
China protested the downing and said it reserves the right for any necessary reaction to the U.S. move, according to a foreign ministry statement on Sunday. It said the U.S. overreacted and violated international practices after an accidental incursion of the balloon that was for civilian use.
