China may demand compensation for downed balloon

Chinese authorities called the destruction of their balloon, found in US airspace, “an obvious overreaction” and a violation of international practices. “The use of force by the American side to attack our civilian drones is clearly an overreaction. We express our strong protest against such practices by the American side and reserve the right to use the necessary means to resolve such situations,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tang Kefei said on February 5. The Chinese Foreign Ministry also added that Beijing will strongly protect the legitimate rights and interests of unnamed Chinese organizations that launched the balloon “for scientific research in meteorology.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also added that Beijing will strongly protect the legitimate rights and interests of unnamed Chinese organizations that launched the balloon “for scientific research in meteorology.”

We express our strong protest against such practices by the American side and reserve the right to use the necessary means to resolve such situations,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tang Kefei said on February 5. The Chinese Foreign Ministry also added that Beijing will strongly protect the legitimate rights and interests of unnamed Chinese organizations that launched the balloon “for scientific research in meteorology.”

The Pentagon announced the discovery of the Chinese apparatus on February 3. The military abandoned the idea of ​​shooting down the balloon, allegedly because of fears of harm that the debris could cause to people. Subsequently, on February 5, US President Joe Biden, who was informed of the incident, stated that he had ordered the downing of the balloon on February 1. “I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible. They successfully shot it down, and I want to thank our pilots who did it, ”Biden said. As a result, the Chinese balloon was shot down on February 4 over the Atlantic Ocean, about 19 km from the coast of North Carolina.