US Will Not Return Spy Balloon Debris to China

The United States is making all efforts to recover the debris of the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the fighter jets over the sea. But America has no plans to return back the remains of the spy balloon to China, the White House said on Monday.

US military fighter jet shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday. This suspected Chinese spy balloon entered US airspace around a week back to worsen Sino-US relations. It was shot down by a missile fired by the US fighter jet F-22 Raptor.  China has however reacted to it by saying that the shooting of the balloon by the US has “seriously impacted and damaged” its relations with Washington.

The massive Chinese spy balloon, about the size of three school buses, was first spotted over nuclear missile launch facilities in Montana in the US. To avoid any losses on the ground the US authorities decided to shoot it down when it was over the Atlantic Ocean.

On Sunday, Colombia’s military said it sighted an airborne object similar to a balloon after the Pentagon said on Friday another Chinese balloon was flying over Latin America.

Meanwhile, China apologised to Costa Rica for the balloon that flew over its territory. Costa Rican officials were told by Chinese officials the balloon flight path deviated from its original plan.