Chinese 'spy balloon' spotted over US, says Pentagon

The Pentagon is tracking a suspected spy balloon belonging to China as it flies over the western United States, officials said Thursday. The balloon has been flying over US skies for a few days now.

"Clearly the intent of this balloon is for surveillance," a senior US defense official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.

The official said the balloon — spotted over Montana — has a flight path that would carry it over several sensitive sites but did not provide specific details.

Montana is home to one of three US nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

Another official, on the condition of anonymity, said that the US took "custody" of the balloon once it entered the country's airspace and has been monitoring it since with the help of military aircraft.

Expressing regret on Friday, China's foreign ministry said the "airship" was for civilian purposed and that it would liaise with Washington to monitor the situation.

"The airship is from China and is civilian in nature, used for meteorological and other scientific research. Due to the influence of westerly winds and its limited control capability, the airship deviated from its intended course," it said.

"China regrets that the airship strayed into the United States by mistake due to force majeure. China will continue to maintain communication with the US side to properly handle this accident," it said. 

Military decides against shooting down balloon

Washington said it has been tracking the suspected spy balloon for a couple of days since it entered US airspace.

US military leaders considered shooting down the balloon with F-22 fighter jets but ultimately decided against it because of the potential safety risk posed by the debris, the official said.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder added the balloon was flying "at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground."

Canada alerts of potential second incident

Separately, the Canadian Defense Ministry said it had detected a "high-altitude surveillance balloon" was monitoring a "potential second incident."

"Canada's intelligence agencies are working with American partners and continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard Canada's sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats," it said, assuring that Canadians are safe. The ministry did not provide any other details.

Tensions simmer over Taiwan

The incident comes as tensions increase between the US and China over the island of Taiwan.

China is determined to take control of the independently governed territory and has deployed fighter jets and navy ships around the island in recent months.

But the US has been arming Taiwan and pledged to help defend the island if attacked.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to visit China in the coming days.

US Republican Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the incident was alarming but not surprising. Meanwhile Republican Senator Tom Cotton called for Blinken to cancel his upcoming trip.

zc, nm/jsi (Reuters, AP, AFP)