The US still considers China’s balloon in US airspace to be a spy balloon, a senior State Department official said at a briefing.
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“We acknowledge China’s statement of regret over this incident, and I also state that we remain confident in our assessment of the situation and in another statement made last night by our Pentagon colleagues,” a State Department spokesman said.
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A Pentagon spokesman said earlier that a reconnaissance balloon was spotted over the United States. He flew in from the Aleutian Islands through the territory of Canada and reached the state of Montana. The balloon’s movements are tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The US military believes the balloon belongs to China. They allegedly did not dare to shoot down the probe because of the risk of falling into populated areas.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green demanded from US President Joe Biden to shoot down a suspicious probe. At the same time, she has no doubt that the object in the sky is certainly a “Chinese spy balloon.” As President Donald Trump, she said, “I would never put up with something like that.” Trump also called for “knock down the balloon.”
In turn, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that speculation on the topic of “Chinese spy balloon” until all the details are clarified does not contribute to the settlement of the issue. The Foreign Ministry said that the probe seriously deviated from the route due to the wind, Beijing regrets that it was over the United States.
