Beijing regrets US airspace accident, Blinken annuls China trip
China stresses that the balloon was meant for meteorological purposes and regrets the accidental breach of US airspace.
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Chinese research balloon. (Reuters)
In light of the accidental entry of a Chinese unmanned airship into US airspace on Friday, Beijing's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said via a spokesperson that China regretted the unintended breach of US airspace.
The spokesperson said that the device had strayed away from its planned course due to force majeure.
"The airship is from China," the statement reads. "It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes."
"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 the US airspace due to force majeure," said the spokesperson.
Read more: China says working to 'verify' reports it flew spy balloon over US
On Thursday, the Pentagon said it was tracking a Chinese 'spy' balloon flying high over the US, sparking a wave of panic across the country.
A senior defense official told reporters that at US President Joe Biden's request, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and top military officials considered shooting the balloon down but decided that doing so would endanger too many people on the ground.
"Clearly, the intent of this balloon is for surveillance," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, considered.
This comes ahead of a scheduled visit to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken intended to ease the tensions between the two countries.
The Financial Times reported that Blinken canceled his trip to Beijing over the incident, hours before he was supposed to depart for China.
Several US politicians and commentators have called for canceling the meeting over the accidental breach, including Nikki Hailey and Donald Trump.
Shoot down the balloon. Cancel Blinken’s trip. Hold China accountable.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 3, 2023
Biden is letting China walk all over us. It’s time to make America strong again.
This is what Trumps response to the Chinese Spy Balloon would look like if he was still president pic.twitter.com/jMyqml6hnq
— Harrison (@HarrisonKrank) February 3, 2023
Read more: Pentagon says tracking Chinese spy balloon over US
