The Chinese Ministry of Defense said that the use of US military force against the Chinese balloon is an "overreaction", RIA Novosti reports.

The ministry also protested the US actions and stressed that China reserves the right to take further necessary action.

Earlier, the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, said that a Chinese balloon shot down by the US military was used to monitor US strategic facilities.

According to Austin, at the direction of United States President Joe Biden, fighter jets shot down a reconnaissance balloon launched by and belonging to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in US airspace over the coast of South Carolina.

It was also reported that the US Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace in parts of North Carolina and South Carolina due to national security measures.