Business owner “Annie” weights down copies of the Chinese Daily News newspaper showcasing pictures of a suspected Chinese spy balloon, in the Chinatown district of Los Angeles Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. The balloon’s presence in the sky above the United States before a military jet shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean with a missile Saturday has further strained U.S.- China ties. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

BEIJING (AP) — China has accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, saying it seriously damaged both sides’ efforts to stabilize Sino-U.S. relations. Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng says he lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy over the use of military force on the balloon. Xie repeated China’s insistence that the balloon was an unmanned Chinese civil airship that blew into U.S. airspace by mistake. He called the U.S. response an overreaction that “seriously violated the spirit of international law.” The presence of the balloon above the U.S. dealt a severe blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations.