China blasts US decision to shoot down what it says was its 'unmanned civilian airship,' threatening repercussions
China accuses US of violating international practice and threatens repercussions after Pentagon shoots down what Beijing says was its"unmanned civilian airship."
"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 on Sunday, adding that it would "reserve the right to make further necessary responses". American officials first said on Thursday that they were tracking a large Chinese "surveillance balloon" in US skies.
China said it had "clearly requested that the United States properly handle the matter in a calm, professional and restrained manner". The shootdown came shortly after the US government ordered a halt to flights in and out of three regional airports — Wilmington, Myrtle Beach and Charleston — due to what it said at the time was an undisclosed ''national security effort.'' The flights resumed on Saturday afternoon.
The balloon first entered US airspace in Alaska on January 28 before moving into Canadian airspace on January 30. It then re-entered US airspace over northern Idaho on January 31, a US defence official said.
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