Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that the Chinese balloon which is currently over the United States is a weather research airship and it unintentionally violated U.S. airspace. “China is a responsible country and we always act in accordance with international law. We have no intention to violate the territory or airspace of any sovereign country” Mao said in a statement. However, the Pentagon is “confident” that the balloon is actually carrying sophisticated surveillance equipment. While some U.S. officials wanted to shoot down the balloon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and others advised against it. Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the balloon showed “China’s brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty†and was a “destabilizing action that must be addressed.â€
