New Delhi: China has reacted to Pentagon's claim that a 'Chinese spy balloon' is hovering over the United States adding that it is 'verifying' the report. Beijing says it has no intention of violating airspace, reported AP.
The response came after the US Department of Defence said it is tracking a Chinese ‘intelligence-gathering’ balloon that is flying in the country’s skies for a couple of days.
The development comes amid rising tensions between the two countries over a range of issues.
"The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon Press Secretary said in an official statement.
He added, "The balloon is well above commercial air traffic and doesn't pose a threat to civil aviation." He also said this isn't the first time such a balloon has been seen over the United States.
A senior defence official said the US intelligence community has "very high confidence" the balloon belongs to the People's Republic of China, and that the United States is engaging with China through diplomatic ways "with urgency, through multiple channels" regarding the presence of the balloon, the statement read.
Reuters reported that senior US officials have also advised President Joe Biden against shooting it down as the debris could pose a safety threat.
US Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising, mentioned the Reuters report.
"The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last 5 years," Rubio said on Twitter.
Notably, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to visit China in the coming days, as reported by Reuters.
It cited a senior US defence official as saying that the United States has had "custody" of the balloon since it entered U.S. airspace a couple of days ago and has observed it with piloted U.S. military aircraft.
Pentagon said that the US government "acted immediately" after the balloon was detected, to protect against the collection of sensitive information.
"We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue. We have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland," a defence official said.
US military leaders considered shooting down the balloon over Montana on Wednesday but eventually advised Biden against it because of the safety risk from debris, Reuters reported.
"Currently, we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collective collection perspective," the official said. "But we are taking steps, nevertheless, to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information."
"It's happened a handful of other times over the past few years, to include before this administration," the official added. "It is appearing to hang out for a longer period of time, this time around, [and is] more persistent than in previous instances. That would be one distinguishing factor."
The official said the current flight path would carry the balloon over a number of sensitive sites, but did not give details. According to Reuters, Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana is home to 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos.