WASHINGTON — Navy divers have been trying to find particles from the Chinese language spy balloon {that a} U.S. fighter jet shot down off the coast of South Carolina, protection officers stated on Sunday, because the fallout from the dramatic confrontation between the world’s two nice powers confirmed no indicators of easing.

The restoration effort, which is predicted to take days, started not lengthy after particles from the balloon hit the water on Saturday, a protection official stated. He added {that a} Navy ship had arrived on the scene, and that different Navy and Coast Guard ships, which had been placed on alert, had additionally been dispatched.

The capturing down of the balloon, occurring on the finish of a outstanding week of high-stakes worldwide drama enjoying out within the open skies and behind closed doorways, launched a brand new section within the more and more tempestuous relationship between america and China, as every vies to be the pre-eminent world energy throughout the financial, army and technological realms — with intelligence-gathering occupying a important position of their competitors.

{That a} confrontation over a single surveillance balloon deemed innocent by the Pentagon might destabilize diplomacy between the 2 international locations confirmed the difficulties of placing “guardrails on the connection,” a aim acknowledged in these phrases by President Biden and his aides.

The Chinese language authorities denounced the U.S. choice to down the balloon, calling it an “extreme response that critically violates worldwide conference.” The Overseas Ministry stated China “retains the fitting to reply additional,” and the Nationwide Protection Ministry stated it will “use the required means to cope with comparable circumstances.”

American officers stated they have been watching China rigorously for any reactions past phrases — together with potential strikes on American belongings. Officers from the State Division and the White Home Nationwide Safety Council spoke with Chinese language officers concerning the downing of the balloon quickly after it occurred, a senior Biden administration official stated. The State Division additionally briefed officers in allied and accomplice nations.

President Xi Jinping of China will seemingly must stability placating widespread nationalist sentiments with assembly sensible diplomatic considerations in taking the subsequent steps. Some Chinese language residents referred to as on-line for Beijing to face as much as america over the downing of the balloon. And for years, Mr. Xi has painted himself as a guardian of the Communist Celebration’s authentic targets of energy consolidation inside China and projection outdoors — which incorporates confronting america the place the goals of the 2 nations conflict.

Whereas China has insisted that the electronics-laden machine was merely a climate balloon that had drifted astray, Biden administration officers have stood agency that its goal was a considerably hapless effort by Beijing to spy on American army installations. Earlier cases of Chinese language spy balloons showing briefly above the continental United States, together with in the course of the Trump administration, went unnoticed on the time, however have been later uncovered, the senior Biden administration official stated.

The newest balloon started drifting into U.S. territory on Jan. 28, when it entered Alaskan airspace close to the Aleutian Islands. Pentagon officers stated they took steps — with out providing specifics — to verify the balloon didn’t yield a lot fruit because it hovered close to Malmstrom Air Pressure Base in Montana and different installations.

In addition they stated China might glean the identical quantity of intelligence from a spy satellite tv for pc.

A U.S. official stated on Sunday that there have been methods for intelligence officers to feed false data to the balloon, which might largely render the knowledge it gathered nugatory. He declined to say whether or not that was achieved on this case.

Nonetheless, the incident became a full-fledged diplomatic quarrel between the 2 powers, with Biden administration officers admonishing their Chinese language counterparts and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken canceling what was to be the primary journey to China by a Biden cupboard secretary.

Mr. Blinken stated he advised Wang Yi, the Chinese language Communist Celebration’s high overseas coverage official, that China had violated U.S. sovereignty with the balloon and that he would go to Beijing “when circumstances enable.” Mr. Blinken had been anticipated to fulfill with Mr. Xi and talk about a spread of points.

Officers in Washington and Beijing had seen the journey as a part of a renewed effort to determine high-level dialogue throughout a interval of heightened tensions. Earlier than the go to was referred to as off, Jessica Chen Weiss, a political scientist at Cornell College, stated that “ final result could be an settlement to proceed speaking, widening the aperture for discussions and persevering with to rebuild the channels of communication that have been stymied by the pandemic and prior selections on each side to cease speaking.”

Pentagon officers have made clear that they plan to gather every bit of particles that Navy divers can retrieve, for America’s personal intelligence functions. As soon as the particles is collected, the Pentagon is predicted at hand it over to be studied by numerous federal intelligence and regulation enforcement companies.

For days earlier than the balloon was shot down, American officers debated numerous methods of bringing it to earth, together with utilizing a large internet or hook. A senior administration official stated on Sunday that ultimately, U.S. officers concluded that the balloon was so large that firing a missile was the one viable choice.

Each Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers, and Protection Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III conveyed the army view that attempting to lasso a balloon at 60,000 toes was not a good suggestion.

NASA scientists gave officers an evaluation of the anticipated particles subject, the administration official stated.

As a result of the balloon was shot down in comparatively shallow water, Pentagon officers consider the restoration effort won’t be tough. A Navy salvage ship was en route, the official stated, and would assist divers retrieving the balloon’s parts in roughly 50 toes of water.

At that depth, the divers can spend about an hour and a half on the underside and might use civilian-type scuba gear as an alternative of needing specialised deep-sea tools. Apart from time concerns, the one limitations on their skill to work would be the water’s temperature, any underwater currents and the quantity of air of their tanks.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers questioned how the balloon was allowed to move over america, with Republicans blaming Mr. Biden for not performing sooner.

“We must always have shot this balloon down over the Aleutians as an alternative of letting it float throughout center America on its merry approach,” Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who sits on the Intelligence Committee, stated on “Fox Information Sunday.”

“The concept that we have been going to let this go all throughout America, a spy balloon full its spy mission, earlier than we shot it down, I’m afraid is a humiliation to america, not a humiliation to the Chinese language.”

A senior protection official stated on Saturday that Chinese language balloons had entered American territory 3 times in the course of the Trump administration and as soon as beforehand in the course of the Biden administration. These forays, the official stated, have been temporary.

Former President Donald J. Trump nonetheless denied that he had missed three balloons throughout his tenure. “China had an excessive amount of respect for ‘TRUMP’ for this to have occurred, and it NEVER did,” Mr. Trump wrote in a publish on his social community Fact Social. He referred to as the Pentagon assertion “JUST FAKE DISINFORMATION.”

A number of senior nationwide safety officers from the Trump administration have requested why they’d by no means heard of the spy balloon encroachments.

On Sunday, the Pentagon was standing agency. Chinese language authorities surveillance balloons briefly traveled throughout the continental United States at the very least 3 times in the course of the Trump administration and as soon as in the beginning of the Biden administration, however by no means for this lengthy, a senior protection official stated in an emailed assertion.

The data on the three balloon transits within the Trump years was found after that administration had left, a senior Biden administration official stated on Sunday night time. Intelligence officers can provide briefings on China’s balloon surveillance program to “key officers” from the Trump administration, the individual stated. The balloons have appeared over 5 continents, together with in East Asia, South Asia and Europe, amongst different locations.

Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey and a member of the Overseas Relations Committee, praised the army operation to down the balloon. He described it as “a call that was centered on defending human life,” however he cautioned that the incident shouldn’t have occurred in any respect.

“We must always not have had this sort of incursion into america,” Mr. Booker stated on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” including that “we clearly have points right here.”

Republicans criticized Mr. Biden for not alerting the general public sooner. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the highest Republican on the Intelligence Committee, referred to as it a “dereliction of obligation.”

“Why didn’t the president go on tv?” Mr. Rubio stated on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “He has the flexibility to convene the nation and cameras and mainly clarify what we’re coping with right here and why he’s made the choices he’s making and what they intend to do.”

Privately, Biden administration officers referred to as the criticism political. One administration official acknowledged that within the coming days, there shall be a lot “Monday-morning quarterbacking,” however stated the administration could be in way more bother if the army had shot down the balloon over the continental United States and somebody had been killed or injured.

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the bulk chief, stated on Sunday that the Protection Division would temporary the complete Senate on the episode subsequent week.

America’s Western allies have been fast to line up behind the Biden administration’s insistence that the balloon was a careless try at spying by China. Britain’s enterprise secretary, Grant Shapps, advised the BBC that his authorities supported the U.S. response. “It can’t be proper to ship spy balloons over the American mainland,” he stated.

Anita Anand, Canada’s protection minister, stated that her authorities “unequivocally” supported the mission, and that each she and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had been briefed on the result. She stated the balloon had “violated U.S. and Canadian airspace and worldwide regulation.”

Reporting was contributed by Chris Buckley from Beijing, and Chris Cameron, Jonathan Swan and John Ismay from Washington.