VIDEO: China Comments on the Discovery of a Massive Spy Balloon in US Airspace

Beijing has called for calm regarding the reported discovery of a Chinese spy balloon over U.S. territory. Mao Ning, the official representative of China’s Foreign Ministry, suggested waiting for all the facts surrounding the incident to be clarified, as reported by RIA Novosti.

"I want to emphasize that speculation and confusion, while facts are not clear, is not the right way to resolve the issue," he said.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder stated that the U.S. government has been tracking the spy balloon for several days over the northern part of the country. U.S. authorities believe that the balloon, which is the size of three buses, was launched by China.

The balloon was spotted on Wednesday, January 31, in the sky over Billings, Montana, and has also flown over the Aleutian Islands and Canada. A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the balloon is still in U.S. airspace but refused to disclose its exact location.

The Pentagon has presented all options for action to President Joe Biden, who suggested shooting it down. However, the Pentagon argued against this, citing potential risks as debris from the three-bus-sized balloon could pose dangers to 'ground-level safety.'

A senior official at the Ministry clarified that the balloon does not pose a threat to civilian aviation. "In our assessment, this balloon has limited additional value in terms of intelligence collection... However, we are taking all necessary steps to protect against the collection of sensitive information by foreign intelligence," the unnamed official stated.

Relations between China and the U.S. have soured since then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, which Chinese authorities consider part of their territory. In January, the head of Air Mobility Command of the U.S. Air Force, Mike Minihan, predicted a direct confrontation with China by 2025.