Downed Chinese balloon aimed for Guam but was blown off course, US official says
- The craft shifted course abruptly as a cold front moved in, and its flight over the continental US might not have been intentional
- Balloons and other unidentified objects have been previously spotted over Guam, a strategic hub for the US Navy and Air Force
US officials believe a Chinese balloon that was shot down after crossing the continental United States originally had a trajectory that would have taken it over Guam and Hawaii but was blown off course by prevailing winds, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday.
The balloon, which Washington accuses Beijing of using for surveillance and China says was a civilian research vessel, drifted across Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, then Canada and the central United States before it was shot down by the US military off the coast of South Carolina on February 4.
The incident has further strained US-China relations and prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned visit to Beijing last week.
China has accused the US of overreacting in bringing the balloon down with a missile fired from an F-22 fighter jet.
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China says US balloons flew over Xinjiang, Tibet as diplomatic row deepens
China has also countered that US balloons had flown over its airspace without permission more than 10 times on round-the-world flights since May 2022. Beijing said it would take measures against US entities that undermine Chinese sovereignty.