Joe Biden Fired At China's Nirawak Aircraft, BeijingRUSt US Protests

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) lodged a strong protest against the United States over the shooting of a Chinese unmanned civilian plane known as a "spy ball". The shooting of the drone was approved by President Joe Biden.

"The Chinese side has verified the situation and communicated it with the US several times," the MFA's written statement in Beijing said, quoted by ANTARA, February 5.

The MFA said that what the US called a spy balloon was an accidental civilian plane and beyond the suspicion of flying in US airspace.

"The US Ministry of Defense spokesman said the balloons did not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Nonetheless, US reactions were excessive by using force, thus violating international practices seriously," the MFA said.

The MFA will take further action to protect legitimate rights and interests after the shooting.

US military fighter jets shot down the spy balloon over Atlantic Ocean waters on Saturday 4 February with US President Joe Biden's approval.

The Chinese side on Saturday issued a statement that the drone entering US airspace was a civilian aircraft used for research, mainly related to meteorology.

For the incident, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his visit to China which is scheduled to take place on Friday 3 February.

Blinken's visit, whose main agenda was to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in an effort to follow up on the meeting of the two US and Chinese heads of state on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali in November 2022.