The US military fired a missile at the balloon as it hovered over the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of South Carolina. The balloon had been flying high above North America for weeks. According to Washington, the device was used to spy on US military infrastructure. Beijing maintains that it was a scientific device and that the balloon accidentally went off course.
LOOK. China investigates and controls flying balloon over US
The incident sparked tensions between the US and China, whose relations have been strained for some time. That became clear again this weekend at the annual safety conference in Munich. “This is absurd and hysterical,” said top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, who spoke of “100 percent abuse of power” and “a violation of international rules.”
Wang is the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Foreign Affairs Committee and a very senior representative of the regime. It is not clear whether he plans to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this weekend to clarify the incident.