The US has shot down the Chinese language spy balloon that has been flying over the nation for nearly every week, shortly after President Joe Biden mentioned he would “take care” of a state of affairs that has derailed efforts to enhance US-China relations.

Defence secretary Lloyd Austin mentioned US fighter jets had on Saturday afternoon shot down the surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina in American airspace and over its territorial waters.

Austin mentioned the president had on Wednesday authorised the Pentagon to shoot it down “as quickly because the mission may very well be completed with out undue threat to American lives beneath the balloon’s path”.

The defence secretary added that the “lawful motion” had proven that Biden and his nationwide safety staff would “all the time put the security and safety of the American folks first whereas responding successfully to the PRC’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty”.

The Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace round Charleston and Myrtle Seashore between 12.45pm and a couple of.45pm. The White Home and Pentagon declined to touch upon the balloon, which has been in North American airspace since early this week.

Some lawmakers had referred to as on Biden to order the army to shoot down the craft, which is estimated to be the scale of a number of buses. The Pentagon offered an choice to the president to take action earlier this week when it was over a army base that homes US nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles. However Biden determined towards the choice due to the danger posed to civilians on the bottom.

Earlier on Saturday, the Pentagon mentioned a second Chinese language spy balloon had been detected over Latin America however didn’t elaborate.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Friday cancelled a go to to China due to the invention of the balloon. He had been anticipated to meet President Xi Jinping. He would have been the primary Biden administration cupboard secretary to go to China.

Talking after cancelling his journey on Friday, Blinken mentioned the presence of the balloon was an “irresponsible act” and a “clear violation of US sovereignty” and worldwide regulation. He added that China taking the motion “on the eve of my deliberate go to is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we have been ready to have”.

China has expressed remorse over the incident however rejected recommendations that the balloon was spying. The Chinese language overseas ministry mentioned it was a “civilian airship used for analysis, primarily meteorological, functions” that strayed from its deliberate course as a result of winds and “restricted self-steering functionality”.

Pentagon spokesperson Basic Patrick Ryder on Friday dismissed the Chinese language clarification. “We all know that it’s a surveillance balloon.”

Some Republicans criticised Biden for ready so lengthy to shoot down the balloon, which flew over US and Canadian territory from Alaska to South Carolina, permitting it to monitory delicate army websites.

“Permitting a spy balloon from . . . China to journey throughout all the continental United States earlier than contesting its presence is a disastrous projection of weak spot by the White Home,” mentioned Roger Wicker, the highest Republican on the Senate armed providers committee.

Comply with Demetri Sevastopulo on Twitter