The United States is tracking a Chinese spy balloon over its territory

Today, the Pentagon announced that it is monitoring the movements of a Chinese spy balloon flying at a high altitude over US territory and sensitive military sites, indicating that it does not pose any direct threat, a few days before the upcoming visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to China, Washington's biggest opponent.

At the request of US President Joe Biden, the Pentagon discussed the possibility of shooting down the balloon, but ultimately decided not to do so because of the risks posed by falling debris to people, a senior defense official who asked not to be named told reporters.

"We have no doubt that the balloon is from China," he said.

He added, "We are taking steps to protect ourselves in the face of the process of collecting sensitive information," stressing "the limited value of the balloon in terms of intelligence gathering."

And the source continued, “We considered that the balloon was large enough that the debris could cause damage” if it was dropped in a populated area.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the space defense command of the United States and Canada (NORAD) is monitoring the balloon's trajectory.

"The balloon is currently flying much higher than commercial air traffic," he said in a statement.

It does not pose a military or physical threat to those on the ground.”

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