U.S. Officials Respond to Beijing’s Explanation for Why Spy Balloon Is Hovering Over Several States

U.S. officials on Friday disputed claims from the People’s Republic of China that a Chinese surveillance balloon detected over the northern United States was a “civilian airship” that had blown off course.

A senior U.S. Defense official told Fox News that the balloon was launched from mainland China. The Pentagon does not believe that this was a weather balloon that flew off course. There was no “force majeure” that caused the Chinese surveillance balloon to enter U.S. airspace, as China’s foreign ministry spokesperson had claimed.

“This was intentional,” the senior U.S. official said.

The balloon is currently flying at 60,000 feet, which is higher than most U.S. warplanes or aircraft can fly. Multiple Republican lawmakers and former President Trump – who declared his candidacy for president in 2024 in November – have called on President Biden to shoot it down. . .

“The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. “Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course.” (Read more from “U.S. Officials Respond to Beijing’s Explanation for Why Spy Balloon Is Hovering Over Several States” HERE)

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