PRESIDENT Joe Biden says the US is “going to take care of” a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been flying across the US in recent days.
Mr Biden, who did not offer further details, is facing intense pressure domestically to shoot the object down.
Officials advised against such a move due to the danger of falling debris.
The incident comes amid fraying tensions between the US and China, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling off a trip to Beijing over it.
Mr Blinken said the “surveillance” balloon’s presence was “an irresponsible act”. However, China – which says it is weather ship blown astray – has urged “cool-headed” handling of the dispute.
The giant white balloon was last spotted over Missouri and is expected to reach the east coast of the US near the Carolinas during the weekend.
In another development on Friday, the US reported a second Chinese balloon floating over Latin America.
China, which has expressed regret over the incident, said on Saturday it had “never violated the territory and airspace of any sovereign country”.
In a statement, its foreign ministry played down the cancellation of Mr Blinken’s visit and said neither side had formally announced such a plan.
It added that Beijing “would not accept any groundless conjecture or hype” and accused “some politicians and media in the United States” of using the incident “as a pretext to attack and smear China.”
