The U.S. Air Force shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Atlantic Ocean coast of South Carolina after a days-long journey across the U.S., adding a fresh source of friction between Washington and Beijing. The Pentagon later acknowledged that the 200-feet tall, 2,000-pound balloon was the fifth such Chinese vessel to breach U.S. airspace in recent years. China's assertion that the airship was only collecting weather data when it was blown off course has been rejected by U.S. authorities.
