US shoots down Chinese spy balloon

WASHINGTON: A US fighter jet on Saturday shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, the Pentagon said, over what it called Beijing’s “unacceptable violation” of American sovereignty.

The craft spent several days flying over North America, ratcheting up tensions between Washington and Beijing, before it was targeted with a missile from an F-22 plane, on the orders of President Joe Biden (above).

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the “lawful action” came in response to China’s “unacceptable violation of our sovereignty”.

Saturday afternoon was the military’s first chance to take on the balloon “in a way that would not pose a threat to the safety of Americans”, a senior defence official told reporters, while still allowing authorities to collect the fallen debris from US territorial waters.