JUST IN: China says suspected spy balloon seen above Montana 'is of a civil nature and is used for meteorological and other scientific research.' 'The airship seriously deviated from the predetermined route,' the Chinese Foreign Ministry says.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is postponing his visit to China after the balloon was tracked soaring across the country.
Blinken will delay his upcoming trip to Beijing, originally scheduled for next week. The official noted that Blinken did not want to blow the situation out of proportion by canceling his visit, but also does not want the balloon to dominate his meetings with Chinese officials.The Chinese Foreign Ministry is saying the balloon is civilian in nature and used for scientific research,"mainly meteorological.
"The airship is from China," the foreign ministry said."Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure." It continued,"The Chinese side will continue communicating with the US side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure."
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