China said Friday that a balloon was used for weather research and was blown off course, despite U.S. suspicion it was spying. The discovery further strained already tense relations between Beijing and Washington.
The Pentagon decided not to shoot down the balloon, which was potentially flying over sensitive sites, because of concerns of hurting people on the ground.
The U.S. had no immediate response to the Chinese explanation, which came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to make his first trip to Beijing this weekend. The visit has not been formally announced, and it was unclear if the balloon害羞草研究所檚 discovery would affect his travel plans.
Blinken would be the highest-ranking member of President Joe Biden害羞草研究所檚 administration to visit China, on a mission to mitigate between the countries amid trade disputes and concerns about and in the South China Sea.
In a statement late Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited 害羞草研究所渟elf-steering害羞草研究所� capabilities and 害羞草研究所渄eviated far from its planned course害羞草研究所� because of winds.
害羞草研究所淭he Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,害羞草研究所� the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one害羞草研究所檚 control.
On Thursday, a senior American defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has 害羞草研究所渧ery high confidence害羞草研究所� that the object spotted over U.S. airspace in recent days was a Chinese high-altitude balloon and that it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation害羞草研究所檚 three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
The defense official said the U.S. has assessed that the balloon has 害羞草研究所渓imited害羞草研究所� value in terms of providing intelligence that couldn害羞草研究所檛 be obtained by other technologies, such as spy satellites.
It was unclear what will happen with the balloon if it isn害羞草研究所檛 brought down.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Thursday that similar balloon activity has been seen in the past several years and the government has taken steps to ensure no sensitive information was stolen.
He said the balloon was traveling well above the height at which commercial aircraft fly and didn害羞草研究所檛 present a threat to people on the ground.
Biden was briefed and asked the military to present options, according to a senior administration official, who was also not authorized to publicly discuss sensitive information. The senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised against taking 害羞草研究所渒inetic action害羞草研究所� because of risks to the safety of people on the ground. Biden, a Democrat, accepted that recommendation.
Even though the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk.
The defense official would not specify the size of the balloon but said commercial pilots could spot it from their cockpits.
The balloon was first reported by NBC News.
A photograph of a large white balloon lingering over the area was captured by The Billings Gazette. It could be seen drifting in and out of clouds and had what appeared to be a solar array hanging from the bottom, Gazette photographer Larry Mayer said.
The balloon害羞草研究所檚 appearance adds to national security concerns among American lawmakers over China害羞草研究所檚 influence in the U.S., ranging from the prevalence of the hugely popular to .
害羞草研究所淐hina害羞草研究所檚 brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed,害羞草研究所� Republican Party House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted.
Tensions with China are particularly high on numerous issues, ranging from Taiwan and the South China Sea to human rights in China害羞草研究所檚 western Xinjiang region and . Not least on that list of irritants are China害羞草研究所檚 tacit support for , its refusal to rein in North Korea害羞草研究所檚 expanding ballistic missile program and ongoing disputes over trade and technology.
On Tuesday, Taiwan , put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations by 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part Beijing害羞草研究所檚 strategy to unsettle and intimidate the self-governing island democracy.
Twenty of those aircraft crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been an unofficial buffer zone between the two sides, which separated during a civil war in 1949.
Beijing has also increased preparations for a potential blockade or military action against Taiwan, which has stirred increasing concern among military leaders, diplomats and elected officials in the U.S., Taiwan害羞草研究所檚 key ally.
害羞草研究所擡mily Wang Fujiyama, Tara Copp And Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press
