China says suspected spy balloon over U.S. skies is a civilian airship

Chinese authorities said Friday that a suspected Beijing-operated spy balloon spotted hovering over sensitive U.S. airspace was in fact a civilian airship intended for scientific research. "The airship comes from China and is of a civilian nature, used for scientific research such as meteorology," according to a Google translation of a statement on the foreign ministry's website. "Affected by the westerly wind and with limited self-control ability, the airship seriously deviated from the scheduled route," it said. "China regrets that the airship strayed into the United States due to force majeure. China will continue to maintain communication with the US to properly handle the unexpected situation," it added.