VIDEO: Footage of Chinese Spy Balloon's Destruction Released; China Responds

China has lodged a complaint with the United States over the destruction of its balloon. International news outlets have reported on this development.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the equipment was civilian and that Beijing "reserves the right to take further necessary measures and will resolutely defend its legitimate rights and interests."

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has asserted that the downed Chinese balloon was used for spying on American strategic targets.

U.S. military personnel shot down the Chinese balloon using an AIM-9X missile fired from an F-22 fighter jet. The destroyed object is the first foreign entity the U.S. has shot down in its airspace since World War II.

The United States believes there is a third Chinese surveillance balloon. The Colombian Air Force reported that they spotted one of these balloons in their airspace on February 2.

The Pentagon has announced that efforts to collect debris from the downed device are ongoing.