China says it reserves right to respond to downing of surveillance balloon

The balloon's flight over the U.S. added tension to the U.S.-China relationship.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Libby Cathey, Meredith Deliso, Stephanie Guerilus , and Bill Hutchinson
Last Updated: February 5, 2023, 7:05 PM EST

A massive Chinese surveillance balloon that moved across the continental U.S. this week has been shot down.

The Pentagon has confirmed the balloon was being used for surveillance, disputing China's claim that it was a civilian aircraft used for meteorological purposes. Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the balloon didn't pose a physical or military threat, and once it was detected, the U.S. took steps to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information.

The FBI is expected to take custody of any recovered components of the balloon and ship them to its lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis and intelligence gathering, a senior government official told ABC News.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a planned trip to China as the balloon's presence over the continental U.S. added new tension to the U.S.-China relationship. Blinken called the balloon a "clear violation" of U.S. sovereignty and international law.

Top headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 03, 2023, 10:14 PM EST

China slams those who 'took advantage of the issue'

The Chinese Foreign Ministry posted a new statement in a form of a Q&A on their website early Saturday and slammed those taking advantage of the massive surveillance balloon.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his upcoming trip to China, but the ministry claimed the visit had never been announced.

"As a matter of fact, neither China nor the US has announced any visits. It is the US's own business to release relevant information, and we respect that," the statement read.

They also reiterated their denial that the surveillance balloon was being used to spy on the U.S., insisting that China has always abided by international law and that the balloon deviated from its scheduled route.

"This was completely an accident caused by force majeure, and the facts are very clear," the statement continued.

The United States, elected officials and the media were also accused by the ministry of taking advantage of the incident.

"Some politicians and media in the United States took advantage of the issue to attack and discredit China. China firmly opposes it," the statement read.

-ABC News' Karson Yiu and Britt Clennett

Feb 03, 2023, 9:32 PM EST

City of Billings denies claims of ‘massive explosion’

The city of Billings, Montana, is aware of a video being shared on social media Friday that claimed an explosion over the city but officials said that there have not been any incidents.

“We are aware of the video shared on Twitter and claims of a “massive explosion” over Billings. However, our PD, Fire & airport have NOT been called to any incidents related to this video and there haven’t been any plane crashes picked up on radar #ChineseSpyBalloon #spyballoon,” the tweet read.

Feb 03, 2023, 9:06 PM EST

Second Chinese surveillance balloon flying over South America: US

The Pentagon is now confirming that there is a second Chinese surveillance balloon flying over South America. There were reports earlier Friday of a balloon flying over Colombia and Venezuela, but there was no information until now.

In this Sept. 1, 2021, file photo, the Pentagon seal is shown in the Pentagon Briefing Room in Arlington, Va.
Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

“We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement Friday.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Feb 03, 2023, 5:49 PM EST

Previous balloon incidents near Hawaii, Guam in 2022: US officials

U.S. officials confirmed that previous balloon incidents involving China occurred near Hawaii and Guam last year.

In February 2022, a balloon appeared to be stationary in international waters northwest of Kauai, Hawaii, the officials said.

The Hawaii incident came shortly after a similar incident that year near Guam, according to one of the officials.

Both incidents in the Pacific involved high-altitude balloons that came from China, the officials said.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

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