The Biden administration on Saturday praised the Pentagon for shooting down an alleged Chinese spy balloon off the US Atlantic coast, but China angrily expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the move and said it could “react as necessary”. Pentagon officials said the craft spent several days flying over North America before it was targeted by a missile fired from an F-22 aircraft off the coast of the southeastern state of South Carolina, splashing down in relatively shallow water. just 47 feet (14 m) across. deep. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the operation a “deliberate and lawful action” which came in response to China’s “unacceptable violation of our sovereignty”.