{"id":72896,"date":"2023-02-15T19:15:49","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T19:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/02\/15\/china-threatens-us-entities-over-downing-of-balloon\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:14:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:14:24","slug":"china-threatens-us-entities-over-downing-of-balloon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2023\/02\/15\/china-threatens-us-entities-over-downing-of-balloon\/","title":{"rendered":"China threatens US \u2018entities\u2019 over downing of balloon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BEIJING \u2014 China said Wednesday it will take measures against U.S. entities related to the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon<\/a> off the American East Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin gave no details and did not identify the targets of the measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China says the balloon was a unmanned weather airship that was accidentally blown off course and accuses the U.S. of overreacting in bringing it down with a missile fired from an F-22 fighter jet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the Feb. 4 downing of the balloon, the United States has sanctioned six Chinese entities it said are linked to Beijing\u2019s aerospace programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. House of Representatives subsequently voted unanimously to condemn China<\/a> for a \u201cbrazen violation\u201d of U.S. sovereignty and efforts to \u201cdeceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns.\u201d Secretary of State Antony Blinken also canceled a visit to Beijing that many hoped would stabilize ties that have cratered amid disputes over trade, human rights, Taiwan and China\u2019s claim to the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\t