On Thursday, a senior American defense official told Pentagon reporters that the United States has “very high confidence” that the object spotted over U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one’s control. “The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. Oscar or not, these were some of the best performances of 2022

The ministry said the airship has limited steering capabilities and “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds. In a statement late Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research.

Blinken would be the highest-ranking member of President Joe Biden’s administration to visit China, on a mission to mitigate a sharp downturn in relations between the countries amid trade disputes and concerns about Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had no information on the trip. The visit has not been formally announced, and it was not immediately clear if the balloon’s discovery would affect his travel plans. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to make his first trip to Beijing this weekend.

The Pentagon decided not to shoot down the balloon, which was potentially flying over sensitive sites, because of concerns about hurting people on the ground. The discovery further strained already tense relations between Beijing and Washington.

China said Friday that a balloon spotted over American airspace was used for weather research and was blown off course, despite U.S.

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