It has been flying for several days over North America.
The United States and Canada are tracking the movements of a Chinese spy balloon flying high over their territory and sensitive military sites.
An episode that rekindles tensions between the two rival superpowers.
What is it about ?
The United States is monitoring the trajectory of a Chinese spy balloon, discovered Thursday and flying over American territory.
The Pentagon once considered shooting it down, but the risks posed by the debris to those on the ground deterred authorities.
"We have no doubt that the ball came from China," said a senior US defense official.
"We take steps to protect ourselves against the collection of sensitive information," he said.
A Pentagon spokesman, Pat Ryder, clarified that "the balloon was currently flying at an altitude well above commercial air traffic."
The structure "presents no military or physical threat to those on the ground," he added in a statement.
The Canadian Aerospace Defense Command also monitors the trajectory of the balloon.
"Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including monitoring for a potential second incident," Canada's Department of Defense said in a statement. more details on this possible second ball.
What trajectory?
For the American Defense, the balloon would be “intended for surveillance” and “its current trajectory would take it over sensitive sites” in particular air bases and strategic missile silos.
The first American defense official mentioned the state of Montana, in the northwestern United States.
The object flew over the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and Canada before appearing over the town of Billings in Montana on Wednesday, according to US officials quoted by the BBC.
Fighter jets approached the craft over Montana, US Defense said.
What is China saying?
Washington raised the case with the Chinese authorities.
For the time being, Beijing said to check the American information and called this Friday not to "make things worse".
"A verification is in progress," said a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, to the press, judging that "to make conjectures and to escalate things even before the facts are established does not does not help in an appropriate resolution of the case”.
"As a responsible country, China has always strictly observed international law and has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of a sovereign state," said the spokesperson.
Strong tensions
This incident comes a few days before a planned visit by the head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken in China.
This trip, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, should be the first visit to the country by an American secretary of state since October 2018. The two superpowers are seeking to prevent the strong tensions between them from degenerating into open conflict.
Read alsoTaiwan: five minutes to understand the tensions between China and the United States
Among the many contentious issues are Taiwan, which China claims as an integral part of its territory, and China's activities in Southeast Asia.
In the Philippines, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin signed agreements on Thursday aimed at strengthening the US military presence there in the face of the rise of China.
