A Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a couple of days, US officials said, in what would be a brazen act just days ahead of a planned trip to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. | AFP
“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters.“The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.” Such balloons typically operate at 80,000 feet to 120,000 feet, well above where commercial air traffic flies.
“Verification is under way” over the reports, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing, adding that “until the facts are clear, making conjectures and hyping up the issue will not help to properly resolve it.” Blinken is expected to travel to China next week for a visit agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was not clear how the discovery of the spy balloon might affect those plans.
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