On Friday morning the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement confirming the origin of a suspected high-altitude surveillance balloon which has been spotted floating over the US. They stated that the balloon is a “civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological” purposes and that it deviated from its planned course due to being affected by the Westerlies. Both the Pentagon and the Chinese Foreign Ministry have agreed that the balloon poses no physical threat to those on the ground, with the Pentagon insisting that it is travelling well-above commercial air traffic zones. Despite this, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to Beijing due to the unexpected interruption.

The balloon originated in China and is about the size of three buses. While the Pentagon is aware that it is large enough to cause damage from the debris field in the event of it being shot down, it has decided against it due to