China on Friday urged it not to “speculate” after the Pentagon revealed that a Chinese high-altitude spy hot air balloon flew over the United States.
“Until the facts are clarified, speculation and agitation will not help to resolve this issue properly,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. at a press conference.
The United States and Canada have detected a surveillance balloon flying over the skies of the two countries, with Washington saying it is highly certain the device is Chinese.
The Pentagon decided not to destroy the balloon because of the risk of hitting people on the ground, US officials said Thursday.
The balloon was sighted in US airspace for two days and the discovery has put additional strain on US-China relations.
A defense official told reporters that the US was “very sure” it was a Chinese high-altitude balloon flying over sensitive locations to gather intelligence.
One of the locations where the balloon was seen was Montana, home to one of three nuclear missile silo fields.
Source: DN
