The Chinese government has responded to the news that the U.S. military had shot down the Chinese spy balloon that had been traversing the United States for a week, threatening to “respond further” to the United States’ use of “armed force.” “For the United States to insist on using armed force is clearly an excessive reaction that seriously violates international convention,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement obtained by the New York Times. “China will resolutely defend the legitimate rights and interests of the enterprise involved, and retains the right to respond further.” The Chinese Ministry

On Friday, Chinese authorities claimed that the China-operated spy balloon seen hovering over sensitive U.S. airspace was a civilian ship and that it accidentally strayed into the United States. “The airship comes from China and is of a civilian nature, used for scientific research such as meteorology,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to a Google translation. “Affected by the westerly wind and its own control ability is limited, the airship seriously deviated from the scheduled route. China regrets that the airship strayed into the United States due to force majeure. China will continue to maintain communication with