The U.S. “shouldn’t be surprised” by China’s response to the Biden administration shooting down their spy balloon, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Sunday.

Mr. Kirby said the Chinese balloon program goes back at least as far as the administration of former U.S. president Donald Trump and has flown over several countries.

But the point is that it is not at all a huge reach,” to assume it’s the group’s balloon, the member said. Kirby said the U.S. stands by the decision to shoot down the objects.

Kirby refused to speculate Friday on a possible link between the object in Yukon and a hobby group in Illinois, insisting the only real answers lie with whatever wreckage remains of the objects.

Mr Kirby said the US had already learned a lot about the balloon by observing it as it flew over the United States, adding: “We’re going to learn even more, we believe, by getting a look at ...

John Kirby told reporters that the US government may never fully determine whether President Biden launched a $439,000 missile to pop a $12 balloon near Alaska.

The spy balloon had been far higher, at more than 18,000 metres. Neither Mr. Kirby nor Brig.-Gen. Ryder would say whether the second object was also a balloon or another kind of vessel.

Kirby said the object was much smaller than a huge Chinese balloon that crossed the United States last week and was shot down by a US fighter jet off the Atlantic coast on Saturday. It was "roughly ...

US officials have now called off the search for the two unidentified balloons that came down in remote areas of Alaska and Lake Huron saying conditions made it too difficult to continue the search ...

Pelletier confirmed the balloon, which was first detected entering Alaskan airspace on Jan. 28, travelled through Canada on Jan. 30 and 31 before re-entering the U.S., where its presence was ...