Fighter plane shoots down Chinese spy balloon over US; Joe Biden congratulates the military for the action

A US fighter jet shot down this Saturday over US territorial waters a Chinese spy balloon that had been flying over the country for days in what Washington considers an “unacceptable” violation of sovereignty.

“Today’s deliberate and legal action demonstrates that President (Joe) Biden and his national security team will always put the safety of the American people first and will respond effectively to the PRC’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Earlier, Biden had promised “take care” of the Chinese globe that entered US airspace, according to the Pentagon for “surveillance” purposes, an incident that further strained ties between Washington and Beijing.

Consulted by journalists about US relationship with China and about the balloon, Biden limited himself to answering: “We will take care of that.”

The controversy erupted on Thursday, when US officials said they were tracking a large Chinese “surveillance” balloon in US skies, but they decided not to shoot it down for fear of damaging people or property on land.

This led to the suspension of a visit by the head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, to Beijing, scheduled for Sunday and Monday. (YO)