On Saturday, the United States blew up Chinese spy balloon with a missile. The Chinese government condemns the USA’s decision as it could cause a diplomatic crisis between the world’s two greatest powers.
What is the Complete Story?
Since the Biden administration discovered the Chinese spy balloon sailing over the US on Thursday, it has become an irritant in the already ongoing tensions between Beijing and Washington. Even the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken cancelled his trip to Beijing that had been intended to manage those tensions.
He said it was not the right time to make the visit. Finally, on Saturday, President Joe Biden ordered the US military to shoot down the spy balloon. At 2:39 pm, two fighter jets from Langley Air Force base attacked the aircraft. One F-22 fighter jet fired an air-to-air missile, shooting down the balloon, flying at 60,000 and 65,000 feet.
The attack’s impact was so powerful that the debris fell into 47 feet of water. The US navy and Coast guard tried to ensure that no people got harmed by the attack.
China says the US overreacted
The Chinese government condemns the decision as an overreaction by the US government. They even warned it could cause a diplomatic crisis between the two powerful countries. However, the government claimed that the spy balloon was just a weather research aircraft that had accidentally hovered into the United States.
The Chinese foreign ministry made a statement that China will defend its legitimate rights and interests and retains the right to respond further. In response, a senior official in the Biden administration stated that the aircraft was a spy balloon that China had purposely flown over sensitive military areas in the US and Canada.
The official added that China had deployed the balloon for surveillance operations only.
Republicans Criticised Biden Administration for Waiting too long to shoot down the Chinese Spy Balloon
Republicans criticised the Briden administration a lot for waiting too long to shoot down the spy balloon.
They said it shows the weakness of the Biden administration in handling any crisis. In response, the Biden administration said they delayed their decision because they didn’t want to shoot down the balloon over populated areas as it would create a dangerous rain of debris.
The administration added they picked up valuable intelligence monitoring the balloon’s equipment before destroying it.
Keep following Briefing Headlines for further updates!
Leave a comment