Taiwan threatens to shoot down any Chinese balloons

BEIJING (AP) — Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says it will shoot down any suspected Chinese military object coming close to its shores but has yet to find balloons of the kind that have been brought down over and around American air space. A senior military official told reporters that the self-governing island is on guard for any incursions. He said balloons found so far were relatively small and light and would burst after rising to an altitude that could be threatening. China claims Taiwan as its territory and regularly sends fighter jets and other military assets into the island’s airspace and sea lanes. China’s Foreign Ministry called the U.S. downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this month a “clear overreaction.”