The US finally took an aggressive posture on the alleged spy balloon by shooting it with a missile. The Biden administration lauded the Pentagon for shooting down an alleged Chinese spy balloon off the US Atlantic coast  but China angrily voiced its "strong dissatisfaction" at the move and said it may make "necessary responses."

The ballon spent several days flying over North America before it was targeted off the coast of the southeastern state of South Carolina with a missile fired from an F-22 plane, Pentagon officials said, falling into relatively shallow water just 47 feet (14 meters) deep.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called the operation a "deliberate and lawful action" that came in response to China's "unacceptable violation of our sovereignty."

But China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs blasted the US action in a statement Sunday morning, saying the downing of the "civilian" aircraft was "clearly overreacting and seriously violating international practice." China reiterated that we will act against this hostile act at an appropriate time. 

The US finally took an aggressive posture on the alleged spy balloon by shooting it with a missile. The Biden administration lauded the Pentagon for shooting down an alleged Chinese spy balloon off the US Atlantic coast  but China angrily voiced its "strong dissatisfaction" at the move and said it may make "necessary responses."

The ballon spent several days flying over North America before it was targeted off the coast of the southeastern state of South Carolina with a missile fired from an F-22 plane, Pentagon officials said, falling into relatively shallow water just 47 feet (14 meters) deep.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called the operation a "deliberate and lawful action" that came in response to China's "unacceptable violation of our sovereignty."

But China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs blasted the US action in a statement Sunday morning, saying the downing of the "civilian" aircraft was "clearly overreacting and seriously violating international practice." China reiterated that we will act against this hostile act at an appropriate time.