The US Navy has released photographs of the recovery of the Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean after it was shot down.
The balloon was first detected over the continental US last week, sparking debate over its purpose and capabilities.
The Chinese authorities claimed it was a weather monitoring aircraft for civilian use, but a senior US defence official alleged that it had deliberately traversed the US and Canada to monitor sensitive military sites.
In a detailed summary, the US Navy has released photos of its crew recovering the remnants of the Chinese balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean after traversing the US and Canada.
The incident has further heightened the tension between the two countries after the Chinese government had repeatedly claimed that the balloon was a civilian aircraft mainly used for monitoring weather.
Meanwhile, the US military and various officials speculated that the high-altitude vehicle was undertaking surveillance of sensitive military sites.
The balloon sparked attention last week, with initial grainy photos providing insight into its appearance and characteristics.
However, the debris retrieval offered a more in-depth look at the technology used in the Chinese aircraft, albeit in fragments.
Some US officials hailed the development as a significant shift in the balance of power in terms of US-Chinese relations, while senior Pentagon officials suggested that the balloon's activity threatened US national security.
The photo release comes as a sign of the escalating tensions and suspicion between the US and China, with both sides attempting to counteract the other party's influence.
While the incident may prompt further scrutiny of China's advanced aviation technology, it could also lead to new restrictions on the export of US technology, pushing for a deeper strategic decoupling between the two nations.