China Makes Admission About Suspected Spy Balloon, But There's a Catch

On Friday, the People’s Republic of China officially acknowledged that the balloon device seen over the northern United States is really Chinese—but denied any sinister intentions.

“The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson. “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,” the statement continued. “The Chinese side will continue communicating with the US side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure.”

The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that the United States military has been keeping an eye on the suspected Chinese spy balloon, however, an opportunity to shoot it down while it was over Montana on Wednesday was not taken.

“Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News.

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“NORAD sent aircraft — including F-22 Raptors from Nellis Air Force Base and airborne early warning aircraft known as AWACs — but the official would not say whether one of the options was to shoot the balloon out of the sky with a U.S. aircraft,” NBC reported. “The U.S. military flights prompted a ground stop at the airport in Billings, with air traffic controllers citing a ‘special military mission.’”

Joe Biden is facing significant backlash for his decision not to shoot down the balloon.

“How on Earth is Beijing Biden allowing a CCP military balloon to fly freely over Montana?” tweeted Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). “Biden is a feckless commander in chief.”

“Biden should shoot down the Chinese spy balloon immediately,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted. “President Trump would have never tolerated this. President Trump would have never tolerated many things happening to America.”

“Why won’t Biden shoot down the Chinese spy balloon that is currently flying over the United States?” asked Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). “The Chinese Communist Party is a threat to our existence.”