China Spy Balloon: Beijing Expresses ‘Strong Dissatisfaction’ as Fighter Jet Downs Balloon, 3 US Airports Shut

The US military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America.

The giant white orb was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the Atlantic coast. About 2:39 p.m. EST, an F-22 fighter jet fired a missile at the balloon, puncturing it while it was about 6 nautical miles off the coast near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, senior defense officials said.

Here are the top 10 points in the China spy balloon story:

1. President Joe Biden on Saturday congratulated fighter pilots for taking down a Chinese spy balloon off the east coast after it spent several days flying over the United States.
2. President Joe Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier, on Wednesday. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water, U.S. officials said.
3. China blasted the Pentagon’s decision to shoot down the spy balloon, accusing the United States of “clearly overreacting and seriously violating international practice”. “China expresses strong dissatisfaction and protests against the use of force by the United States to attack the unmanned civilian airship,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
4. US aviation authorities on Saturday closed down three airports in the eastern part of the country due to a “national security effort” amid controversy over a suspected Chinese spy balloon in US skies.
5. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was scheduled to travel to China, said he will visit Beijing when “conditions are right”.
6. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called the operation a “deliberate and lawful action” that came in response to China’s “unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”
7. In an eyewitness video posted to social media, the balloon appeared to disintegrate in a white puff before its remnants dropped vertically into the ocean below.
8. A Chinese spy balloon has been spotted over Latin America, the Pentagon said on Friday, a day after a similar craft was seen in US skies, prompting the scrapping of a rare trip to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
9. The debris landed in 47 feet of water, shallower than officials had expected, and it spread out over roughly seven miles and the recovery operation included several ships.
10. The officials estimated the recovery efforts would be completed in a short time, not weeks. A salvage vessel was en route.

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