The Government of China has confirmed this Friday that the balloon located by U.S. authorities in U.S. airspace is its property, although it has clarified that «it is of civilian nature» and that it is used for «scientific research».
«The balloon belongs to China and is of a civilian nature, used for scientific research, such as meteorological matters,» said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, who noted that «after being affected by westerly winds and the limitation of its control capacity, it deviated seriously from its scheduled route».
Therefore, he said that «China regrets that the balloon was diverted into the United States due to force majeure» and added that Beijing «will continue to maintain communication with the United States to properly address this unexpected situation caused by force majeure,» according to a brief statement on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the U.S. military has been tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over U.S. mainland airspace in recent days. He said that «it does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground» while indicating that «it is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic».
For his part, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has called the event a «blatant disregard for sovereignty» and has convened a meeting of a group of parliamentarians charged with dealing with intelligence information to address the issue, while Republican congressmen have criticized Joe Biden’s administration and called for the balloon to be shot down.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
