The United States shot down the Chinese “spy” balloon off the coast of Carolina this Saturday followingnoon and launched an operation to recover its remains.
What China said regarding the detected balloon
The Government of China confirmed on Friday that the first balloon located by the US authorities in the airspace of the North American country is its property, although it has qualified that “it is of a civil nature” and that it is used for “scientific research”.
“The balloon is from China and is of a civilian nature, used for scientific research, such as meteorological matters,” said a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, who pointed out that “following being affected by westerly winds and due to the limitation of its capacity checkpoint, seriously deviated from its scheduled route.”
This event altered diplomatic relations between both powers.