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Chinese spy balloon – live: China warns of ‘further actions’ after US shoots down airship

China has warned of further actions after the US military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast.

In a statement on Sunday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response.”

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that president Joe Biden had given the green light for the operation to go ahead.

The balloon is suspected of having conducted spying activities on the US military.

Four US officials said earlier that the plan was to bring it down over the ocean to recover remnants of the balloon, the Associated Press reported.

Planes were seen circling the balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Saturday afternoon before it was brought down.

Key Points

  • China warns of 'actions' after US shoots down balloon

  • US shoots down Chinese 'spy' balloon

  • US officials say they blocked balloon from gathering intelligence

  • Joe Biden wanted Chinese balloon shot down 'as soon as possible'

  • China plays down Blinken's cancelled visit

South Carolina Rep says balloon reaction reminded him of movie Independence Day

18:30 , Gustaf Kilander

South Carolina Republican Representative Russell Fry appeared on Fox News saying that the reaction to the Chinese balloon reminded him of the movie Independence Day.

The balloon was shot down off the coast of his home state, and Mr Fry said people pulled off roads and came out on their porches to watch it come down.

Chinese spy balloon crashed near Hawaii, another flew over Texas and Florida during Trump admin

17:30 , Gustaf.Kilander

A Chinese spy balloon crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii four months ago, US officials have said, according to Fox News.

At least one balloon flew over parts of Texas and Florida while Donald Trump was president, the outlet reported.

This comes as Mr Trump told Fox News Digital on Sunday morning that such reports are “disinformation”.

“This never happened. It would have never happened,” the former president said, claiming that China “respected us greatly” when he was in the White House.

“It never happened with us under the Trump administration and if it did, we would have shot it down immediately,” he added. “It’s disinformation.”

Republican representative calls on Biden to resign over Chinese balloon: ‘Catastrophic spectacle’

16:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Republican South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson has called for President Joe Biden to resign over his handling of the Chinese spy balloon, which was shot down by the US military off the coast of Mr Wilson’s home state.

“The catastrophic Chinese Spy Balloon spectacle clearly threatened American families from Alaska to my home community in South Carolina and confirms President Biden and Vice President Harris should resign,” Mr Wilson tweeted on Saturday night after the balloon had been taken out of the sky.

“My call for their resignation was valid in August 2021 due to the surrender and disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan, creating a safe haven for terrorists to attack American families. It was not political in 2021, when the succeeding President, then Speaker Nancy Pelosi, would have been a Democrat, or now in 2023 with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican,” he went on to claim.

Mr Wilson continued: “It is irrelevant for American families which party is in power because the first criteria of a leader should be their capability, regardless of party, and sadly Biden and Harris are failures. Resignation now is further reinforced as their open border policies have allowed hundreds of identified terrorists into America to commit mass murder.”

Read more:

Republican calls on Biden to resign over Chinese balloon: ‘Catastrophic spectacle’

Taiwan says Chinese balloon ‘should not be tolerated by the civilized international community'

15:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Taiwan’s ministry of foreign affairs has issued a statement harshly criticising China’s actions in connection to the spy balloon shot down off the east coast of the US, arguing that it “should not be tolerated by the civilized international community”.

“Such actions by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government contravene international law, breach the airspace of other countries, and violate their sovereignty,” the ministry said in a statement. “The CCP regime should immediately cease conduct of this kind that encroaches on other countries and causes regional instability.”

The ministry said on Saturday that China should cease actions that create instability in the region and that “encroaches on other countries”.

Defence department says Chinese balloons entered US airspace three times during Trump administration

14:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The Defence Department has said that Chinese balloons entered US airspace at least three times during the Trump administration.

“The balloon did not pose a military or physical threat. Still, its intrusion into American airspace over several days was an unacceptable violation of US sovereignty,” the department’s website states, noting that an official said that “Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration”.

US shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon over Atlantic ocean

13:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The US military has shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast.

The move comes as the airspace along the coast of North and South Carolina had been closed amid the national security operation.

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that President Joe Biden had given the green light for the operation to go ahead.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop affecting three airports in North and South Carolina as the balloon drifted through its airspace, a spokesperson said.

“The FAA has paused departures to Wilmington (ILM), Myrtle Beach International (MYR) and Charleston International (CHS) airports to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort,” the statement said ahead of the balloon being taken down.

Read more:

US shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon over Atlantic ocean

PHOTOS: Spectators watch balloon being shot down

12:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Spectators look at a photo of a Chinese spy balloon after it was shot down off the coast in Holden Beach, North Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
Spectators look at a photo of a Chinese spy balloon after it was shot down off the coast in Holden Beach, North Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
A spectator watches after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast in Holden Beach, North Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
A spectator watches after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast in Holden Beach, North Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
Spectators watch after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast in Holden Beach, North Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
Spectators watch after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast in Holden Beach, North Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)

Everything we know about ‘Chinese spy balloon’ found hovering above northern US

11:30 , Graeme Massie and Gustaf Kilander

The US military has shot down a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon in the Atlantic off the eastern coast United States.

The White House decided against shooting it out of the sky above land after being advised against it by defence officials, including Gen Mark Milley the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff.

A Pentagon official said during a press briefing in Washington DC that the suspected balloon had been spotted over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday.

It had first flown over the Aleutian Islands, through Canada, and into Montana.

China confirmed ownership of the ballon, claiming it is a civilian airship used for research purposes that was blown off course unexpectedly by strong winds.

This is everything we know so far about the spy balloon.

Everything we know about ‘Chinese spy balloon’ found hovering above northern US

The history of spy balloons

10:30 , The Associated Press

Spy balloons aren’t new — primitive ones date back centuries, but they came into greater use in World War II. Administration officials said Friday there have been other similar incidents of Chinese spy balloons, with one saying it happened twice during the Trump administration but was never made public.

The Pentagon’s Ryder confirmed there have been other incidents where balloons came close to or crossed over the U.S. border, but he and others agree that what makes this different is the length of time it’s been over U.S. territory and how far into the country it penetrated.

Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said Chinese surveillance balloons have been sighted on numerous occasions over the past five years in different parts of the Pacific, including near sensitive U.S. military installations in Hawaii. The high-altitude inflatables, he said, serve as low-cost platforms to collect intelligence and some can reportedly be used to detect hypersonic missiles.

During World War II, Japan launched thousands of hydrogen balloons carrying bombs, and hundreds ended up in the U.S. and Canada. Most were ineffective, but one was lethal. In May 1945, six civilians died when they found one of the balloons on the ground in Oregon, and it exploded.

In the aftermath of the war, America’s own balloon effort ignited the alien stories and lore linked to Roswell, New Mexico.

According to military research documents and studies, the U.S. began using giant trains of balloons and sensors that were strung together and stretched more than 600 feet as part of an early effort to detect Soviet missile launches during the post-World War II era. They called it Project Mogul.

One of the balloon trains crash-landed at the Roswell Army Airfield in 1947, and Air Force personnel who were not aware of the program found debris. The unusual experimental equipment made it difficult to identify, leaving the airmen with unanswered questions that over time — aided by UFO enthusiasts — took on a life of their own. The simple answer, according to the military reports, was just over the Sacramento Mountains at the Project Mogul launch site in Alamogordo.

In 2015, an unmanned Army surveillance blimp broke loose from its mooring at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and floated over Pennsylvania for hours with two fighter jets on its tail, triggering blackouts as it dragged its tether across power lines. As residents gawked, the 240-foot blimp came down in pieces in the Muncy, Pennsylvania, countryside. It still had helium in its nose when it fell, and state police used shotguns — about 100 shots — to deflate it.

PHOTOS: Balloon shot out of sky by fighter jet

09:30 , Gustaf Kilander

A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon after shooting it down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon after shooting it down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon after shooting it down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon after shooting it down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)
The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023 (REUTERS)

Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Biden of balloon incident

08:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed President Joe Biden for his handling of the balloon incident.

“The Biden admin allowed the Chinese Spy Balloon to traverse the entire US and gather intel on our critical military infrastructure while the entire country screamed to shoot it down, before they finally shot it down. Biden refused to stop China,” she claimed on Twitter on Saturday afternoon.

She added: “They can never again talk tough as they wage war on Russia in Ukraine as they have now proven they serve China. Only weak men wage wars where they can’t be hurt but refuse to fight to protect our borders and our national security. Biden serves China first and America Last.”

US officials say they blocked balloon from gathering intelligence

07:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Video shows US shooting down Chinese spy balloon

06:30 , Gustaf Kilander

China threatens ‘further actions’ after US shoots down spy balloon

06:24 , Sravasti Dasgupta

China has hit out at the US and warned of further “actions” after the American military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast.

In a statement on Sunday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response."

Read more:

China threatens ‘further actions’ after US shoots down spy balloon

House Judiciary Committee Republicans slam Biden over balloon incident

05:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee slammed President Joe Biden and his administration’s handling of the balloon incident.

“THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TRIED TO HIDE THE CHINESE SPY BALLOON FROM THE AMERICAN PUBLIC,” they tweeted on Saturday, linking to a New York Post report alleging that the White House attempted to cover up the incident.

The administration was aware that the balloon was in US airspace for almost a week before it was shot down, the paper reported, adding that it was kept secret out of concerns that it would impact Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to the country.

Mr Blinken’s trip has now been postponed.

Where is the Chinese ‘spy’ balloon now?

04:30 , Bevan Hurley

US authorities were closely tracking a Chinese airship that was spotted flying over sensitive nuclear sites in Montana this week. The suspected spy balloon was shot down along the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday.

Chinese officials shared “regret” on Friday and claimed the balloon was conducting meteorological research and had been accidentally blown off course by winds.

A Pentagon official called the air balloon “a clear violation of US sovereignty” at a press briefing on Friday and and dismissed China’s claims that it is not a spy ship.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a planned trip to Beijing this weekend as the diplomatic stand-off intensified.

The Pentagon initially resisted calls from Republican lawmakers to shoot the “intelligence gathering” airship down. President Joe Biden later gave the green light for the operation to go ahead on Saturday.

Read more:

Where is the Chinese ‘spy’ balloon now?

Top Chinese diplomat says country has ‘strictly followed international law'

03:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The top Chinese diplomat, Wang Yi, said earlier on Saturday that China “has always strictly followed international law”.

He added that “we do not accept any groundless speculation and hype. Faced with unexpected situations, both parties need to keep calm, communicate in a timely manner, avoid misjudgments and manage differences”.

He said the balloon’s path was out of China’s control and he urged the US not to “smear” the country based on the recent events.

China has said that it “regretted” that the balloon unintentionally entered US airspace.

An associate professor at the National University of Singapore, Alfred Wu, said the apology appeared insincere.

“In the meantime, the relationship will not improve in the near future ... the gap is huge,” he said, according to the Associated Press.

Chinese military expert pushes back against US

02:35 , Gustaf Kilander

Chinese military expert Chen Haoyang appeared on one of the largest TV channels in the country, Phoenix TV, to push back against the US reaction to the discovery of the Chinese spy balloon in US airspace.

“The U.S. is hyping this as a national security threat posed by China to the U.S. This type of military threat, in actuality, we haven’t done this. And compared with the U.S. military threat normally aimed at us, can you say it’s just little? Their surveillance planes, their submarines, their naval ships are all coming near our borders,” the expert said, according to the Associated Press.

VIDEO: Blinken postpones China trip as balloon over US fuels tensions

01:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Meteorologists and storm chasers shares photos and videos of balloon

00:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Meteorologists and storm chasers shared photos and videos of the balloon as they tracked its path across the US before it was shot down.

The #ChineseSpyBalloon and #ChinaBalloon hashtags were frequently used on Twitter.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared a graphic of its path, showing it leaving US airspace and heading out into the skies above the Atlantic off the coast of North Carolina ahead of the national security operation.

At 12.31pm on Friday, the National Weather Service in Kansas City tweeted: “We have had several reports across northwest MO of a large balloon visible on the horizon. It is now visible from our office in Pleasant Hill and the KC Metro. We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon.”

Dan Satterfield, a meteorologist in Salisbury, Maryland, tweeted on Friday afternoon that if “ it can be raised and lowered, the track might vary quite a bit. It would have to be lowered into the commercial air lanes though to change it a lot”.

China downplays Blinken’s cancelled amid spy balloon fallout

Saturday 4 February 2023 23:35 , Gustaf Kilander

China is downplaying the cancelled visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken amid the fallout of the discovery of a Chinese spy balloon over US airspace.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday that “in actuality, the U.S. and China have never announced any visit, the U.S. making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that”.

Mr Blinken was set to visit China on Sunday for discussions focused on reducing the tensions between the two countries. It would have been the first trip of a top diplomat following the meeting of Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in Indonesia in November.

Depth of debris will make recovery ‘fairly easy,’ official says

Saturday 4 February 2023 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The US Navy and the Coast Guard are working to secure the area.

The debris from the downed balloon ended up at a depth of 47 feet, which “will make it fairly easy” to recover it, a Navy official told CNN.

“Capable Navy divers” will enter the waters to aid the recovery effort in addition to “unmanned vessels that can go down to get the structure and lift it back up on the recovery ship,” the official said.

The official said the operation could take “a relatively short time”.

“I don’t anticipate months and weeks,” they said.

Defence Secretary blasts China’s 'unacceptable violation of our sovereignty’

Saturday 4 February 2023 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

In a statement on Saturday, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said that “this afternoon, at the direction of President Biden, U.S. fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully brought down the high altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the water off the coast of South Carolina in U.S. airspace”.

“The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters. On Wednesday, President Biden gave his authorization to take down the surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon's path,” he added.

“After careful analysis, U.S. military commanders had determined downing the balloon while over land posed an undue risk to people across a wide area due to the size and altitude of the balloon and its surveillance payload. In accordance with the President's direction, the Department of Defense developed options to take down the balloon safely over our territorial waters, while closely monitoring its path and intelligence collection activities,” the secretary said.

“This action was taken in coordination, and with the full support, of the Canadian government. And we thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through NORAD as it transited North America. Today's deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC's unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” he concluded.

VIDEO: Joe Biden wanted Chinese balloon shot down ‘as soon as possible’

Saturday 4 February 2023 20:30 , Ollie Cooper

Biden authorized balloon take down ‘without undue risk to American lives'

Saturday 4 February 2023 20:26 , Gustaf Kilander

In a statement on Saturday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Mr Biden authorized the takedown of the balloon on Wednesday as soon as possible “without undue risk to American lives,” CNN reported.

The military said “downing the balloon while over land posed an undue risk to people across a wide area”.

Biden says he gave order to shoot down balloon on Wednesday

Saturday 4 February 2023 20:23 , Gustaf Kilander

President Joe Biden said on Saturday afternoon that he “ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible”.

He added that military leaders chose to wait until the balloon was above water as it was “the safest place to do it”.

Schumer slams Xi Jinping, praises Biden amid spy balloon shoot-down

Saturday 4 February 2023 20:19 , Gustaf Kilander

Watch: Moment Chinese ‘spy balloon’ is shot down over Carolina

Saturday 4 February 2023 19:57 , Ollie Cooper

Footage shows the moment the Chinese “spy balloon” was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of Carolina.

Video shared by Twitter users @ashlynforsc and @haleyewalsh shows the moment of the impact.

The Associated Press say that President Joe Biden gave the green light to shoot the balloon down, hours after announcing that he was going to “deal with” the situation.

China has so far denied any spying, with diplomat Wang Yi stating: “China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international law.”

Video shows the moment the balloon was shot down (Screenshot / LiveNow from Fox)
Video shows the moment the balloon was shot down (Screenshot / LiveNow from Fox)

‘First of all, well done!’: Fox News airs live footage of balloon descent after impact

Saturday 4 February 2023 19:52 , Gustaf Kilander

Video shows moment balloon is shot out of sky

Saturday 4 February 2023 19:48 , Gustaf Kilander

US shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon over Atlantic ocean

Saturday 4 February 2023 19:42 , Gustaf Kilander

The US military has shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast.

This comes as the airspace along the coast of North and South Carolina had been closed amid the national security operation.

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that President Joe Biden had given the green light for the operation to go ahead.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop affecting three airports in North and South Carolina as the balloon drifts through its airspace, a spokesperson said.

“The FAA has paused departures to Wilmington (ILM), Myrtle Beach International (MYR) and Charleston International (CHS) airports to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort,” the statement said.

Read more:

US shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon over Atlantic ocean

Chinese social media users concur with government stance

Saturday 4 February 2023 19:35 , Gustaf Kilander

Many users of Chinese social media appeared to agree with the government’s stance that the US was overhyping the situation.

Many account holders joked about the spy balloon, and others suggested that since the US has placed restrictions on the kinds of technology China can purchase, they were unable to control the balloon, the Associated Press reported.

Some users referred to it as the “wandering balloon” in reference to the recently released Chinese sci-fi movie The Wandering Earth 2.

Some mocked the US for being unable to stop a balloon from entering its airspace. A number of nationalist influences used the story to make fun of the US.

“The U.S., because of the balloon incident, delays Blinken’s visit to China,” one wrote.

Censorship was quickly put in place, with the “wandering balloon” hashtag on the social media platform Weibo not being searchable by Saturday night.

Biden admin prepares to shoot down Chinese spy balloon and restricts airspace over Carolina Coast

Saturday 4 February 2023 19:18 , Gustaf.Kilander

The Biden administration is going ahead with a plan to shoot down the Chinese balloon over the Atlantic, officials have said.

This comes as the airspace along the coast of North and South Carolina has been closed amid the expected national security operation.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that President Joe Biden has given the green light for the operation to go ahead.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a ground stop affecting three airports in North and South Carolina as the balloon drifts through its airspace, a spokesperson has said.

“The FAA has paused departures to Wilmington (ILM), Myrtle Beach International (MYR) and Charleston International (CHS) airports to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort,” the statement said.

Biden administration considering plan to shoot down balloon over Atlantic

Saturday 4 February 2023 18:37 , Gustaf Kilander

The Biden administration is considering a plan to shoot down the Chinese balloon over the Atlantic, officials have said. This comes as the airspace along the coast of North and South Carolina has been closed amid the expected national security operation.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a ground stop affecting three airports in North and South Carolina as the balloon drifts through its airspace, a spokesperson has said.

“The FAA has paused departures to Wilmington (ILM), Myrtle Beach International (MYR) and Charleston International (CHS) airports to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort,” the statement said.

The balloon is suspected of conducting spying activities on the US military.

Four US officials have said the plan is to bring it down over the ocean to recover remnants of the balloon, the Associated Press reported.

Biden: US is ‘going to take care of’ Chinese spy balloon

Saturday 4 February 2023 17:35 , Gustaf Kilander

President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the US will “take care of” the Chinese spy balloon.

Mr Biden was answering a question from a reporter while getting into his car at an airfield in Syracuse, New York, where the president was visiting members of his family.

U.S. President Joe Biden answers a question from a reporter before getting into his vehicle after disembarking from Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, U.S., February 4, 2023. (REUTERS)
U.S. President Joe Biden answers a question from a reporter before getting into his vehicle after disembarking from Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, U.S., February 4, 2023. (REUTERS)

He was asked by CNN if the US would shoot down the balloon.

“We’re gonna take care of it,” the president said.

Mr Biden has been looking at options with military leaders since his initial briefing on the balloon on Tuesday.

Advisers have warned against shooting it down over land as debris may injure people or damage homes.

Spy balloon spotted over North Carolina, video shows

Saturday 4 February 2023 16:35 , Gustaf Kilander

The balloon was spotted above Ashville in western North Carolina on Saturday morning.

Resident Kim Hixson posted footage appearing to show the balloon at 8.48am on 4 February, CNN noted.

The balloon was seen later on Saturday floating further eastward, reaching Charlotte, footage from WSOC shows.

The suspected spy balloon is expected to continue on its path east and leave the continental US by Saturday.

On Friday night, it was projected that it would enter the sky over the Atlantic at the Outer Banks on North Carolina’s eastern shoreline.

China balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky

Saturday 4 February 2023 15:35 , The Associated Press

The massive white orb drifting across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media.

China insists the balloon is just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and has only limited “self-steering” capabilities.

The United States says it is a Chinese spy balloon without a doubt. Its presence prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a weekend trip to China that was aimed at dialing down tensions that were already high between the countries.

The Pentagon says the balloon, which is carrying sensors and surveillance equipment, is maneuverable and has shown it can change course. It has loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence.

A Pentagon spokesman said it could remain aloft over the U.S. for “a few days,” extending uncertainty about where it will go or if the U.S. will try to safely take it down. And late Friday, the Defense Department acknowledged reports of a balloon flying over Latin America — assessed as “another Chinese surveillance balloon.”

Everything we know about ‘Chinese spy balloon’ found hovering above northern US

Saturday 4 February 2023 14:35 , Graeme Massie

The US military is tracking a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon as it makes its way over the northern United States.

But the White House decided against shooting it out of the sky after being advised against it by defence officials, including Gen Mark Milley the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff.

A Pentagon official told a press briefing in Washington DC the suspected balloon had been spotted over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday.

It had first flown over the Aleutian Islands, through Canada, and into Montana.

China has since confirmed ownership of the ballon, saying it is a civilian airship used for research purposes that was blown off course unexpectedly by strong winds.

This is everything we know so far about the spy balloon:

Everything we know about ‘Chinese spy balloon’ found hovering above northern US

Chinese social media mocks balloon incident

Saturday 4 February 2023 13:35 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Reactions on Chinese social media mirrored the official government stance that the US was hyping up the situation.

Many users made jokes about the balloon.

While some said that they could not control the balloon since the US had put restrictions on the technology that China is able to buy.

Others called it the “wandering balloon” in a pun that refers to the newly released Chinese sci-fi film called “The Wandering Earth 2.”

Some users also mocked the US’s defences for not being able to block a balloon.

Censorship was visible on the topic — the “wandering balloon” hashtag on Weibo was no longer searchable by Saturday evening, reported Associated Press.

ICYMI: Trump leads calls for Pentagon to shoot down the Chinese air balloon

Saturday 4 February 2023 13:05 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Donald Trump has called on the Pentagon to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon that Beijing says accidentally veered off course over the United States.

In a four word, all caps post on Truth Social on Friday morning, the former president wrote: “Shoot down the balloon.”

Bevan Hurley has more:

Trump leads calls for Pentagon to shoot down the Chinese air balloon over Montana

What does the Chinese spy balloon mean for US-China relations?

Saturday 4 February 2023 12:20 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has postponed his trip to China this weekend, with a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon currently making its way across the US.

The drama is the latest in a number of diplomatic spats between the two nations – so what happens now?

Chris Stevenson writes:

Politics Explained: What does the Chinese spy balloon mean for US-China relations?

ICYMI: Biden avoids questions on Chinese balloon

Saturday 4 February 2023 11:35 , Sravasti Dasgupta

President Joe Biden on Friday declined to answer questions about the detection of a Chinese surveillance balloon over Montana after delivering remarks on the addition of 517,000 new jobs to the US economy last month.

Read more:

Biden avoids questions on Chinese balloon as Blinken cancels trip

US considers new China sanctions amid spy balloon incident

Saturday 4 February 2023 11:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The US is considering new sanctions on Chinese surveillance companies over sales to Iran’s security forces, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter.

The move comes amid heightened tensions over an alleged Chinese spy balloon over Montana.

The report said that US authorities are in advanced discussions on the sanctions and have zeroed in on Tiandy Technologies Co, an electrical equipment manufacturer based out of the Chinese city of Tianjin whose products have been sold to units of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Where is the Chinese ‘spy’ balloon now?

Saturday 4 February 2023 10:50 , Sravasti Dasgupta

US authorities say they are closely tracking a Chinese airship that was spotted flying over sensitive nuclear sites in Montana.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a planned trip to Beijing this weekend as the diplomatic stand-off intensified.

Here’s what we know about the airship’s flight path:

Where is the Chinese ‘spy’ balloon now?

China plays down cancellation of Blinken trip

Saturday 4 February 2023 10:05 , Adam Withnall

China has played down the last-minute cancellation of a visit by US secretary of state Antony Blinken in the aftermath of the discovery of the Chinese balloon.

Mr Blinken had been due to visit Beijing tomorrow for the first major US-China talks since the countries’ leaders met last November in Indonesia.

But the US said Mr Blinken’s trip had been called off after the US said it had discovered the balloon suspected of conducting surveillance on US military sites.

China said on Saturday morning that neither side had ever actually formally announced Mr Blinken’s trip.

“In actuality, the US and China have never announced any visit, the US making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Mr Blinken, who had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late on Friday, said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the US was “an irresponsible act and that (China’s) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have”.

China has denied any claims of spying, and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. Experts have said that their response was feasible.

ICYMI: US dismisses China’s claim Montana balloon is not a spy ship

Saturday 4 February 2023 09:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The US secretary of state Antony Blinken cancelled his first official visit to Beijing on Friday following the discovery of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over United States airspace, as Pentagon officials tracked the aircraft eastwards across the country.

Explaining his decision to cancel the visit, Mr Blinken described the balloon as “a clear violation of US sovereignty and international law”, and an “irresponsible act”.

Richard Hall, Andrew Feinberg report:

US says Montana balloon ‘a clear violation of sovereignty’ and dismisses China denial

Everything we know about ‘Chinese spy balloon’ found hovering above northern US

Saturday 4 February 2023 08:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The US military is tracking a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon as it makes its way over the northern United States.

This is everything we know so far about the spy balloon:

Everything we know about ‘Chinese spy balloon’ found hovering above northern US