China's defense ministry expresses stern protest against U.S. attack on civilian unmanned airship

BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese defense spokesperson on Sunday expressed stern protest against the United States' use of force to attack China's civilian unmanned airship.

The U.S. attack was a clear overreaction, said Tan Kefei, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, in a statement.

"We express solemn protest against the move by the U.S. side and reserve the right to take necessary measures to deal with similar situations," Tan said.