US Holds Drills in South China Sea Amid Tensions With China

After first issuing a highly rare expression of regret over the incident, China has toughened its rhetoric, calling the US to move an overreaction and a violation of international norms. China's defense minister refused to take a phone call from US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the matter.

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The United States has since blacklisted six Chinese entities it said were linked to Beijing's aerospace programs as part of its response to the incident. The House of Representatives also voted unanimously to condemn China for a "brazen violation" of US sovereignty and efforts to "deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns."

The balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for several years, the Pentagon said. The US says Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.

In its news release, the 7th Fleet said the joint operation had "established a powerful presence in the region, which supports peace and stability."

"As a ready response force, we underpin a broad spectrum of missions including landing Marines ashore, humanitarian disaster relief, and deterring potential adversaries through visible and present combat power," the release said.

Source: AP, VOA