Pentagon determines 'likely' origin for high-altitude balloon intercepted by US Military over Utah - one year after Chinese spy balloon provoked diplomatic crisis

The Pentagon determined the high-altitude balloon found on Friday and intercepted by the U.S. Military was 'likely' a 'hobby balloon.' 

In a statement on Saturday, NORAD, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, said the mystery balloon was monitored from ground radars 'until it left U.S. airspace overnight.' 

'The balloon was intercepted by NORAD fighters over Utah, who determined it was not maneuverable and did not present a threat to national security,' NORAD said. 

'The FAA also determined the balloon posed no hazard to flight safety. NORAD remains in close coordination with the FAA to ensure flight safety.' 

The newest discovery came after a Chinese spy balloon was found hovering over the U.S. and was eventually shot down over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on February 4, 2023. 

The US Military intercepted a balloon that was found hovering over Utah on Friday. The Pentagon said that it was not a threat. Pictured: File photo of China spy balloon over US in 2023

A similar balloon was found hovering over the US and was eventually shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb 4, 2023

That balloon entered U.S. airspace over Alaska in January and eventually flew over a U.S. military base in Montana before it was shot down by an F-22 Raptor off the coast of South Carolina. 

In June, the Pentagon said it had 'intelligence collection capabilities,' but U.S. officials could not confirm if China collected information in real-time. 

The discovery then provoked Beijing, which vowed countermeasures, adding yet another strain to a relationship already battered by trade practices, tariffs, Taiwan, human rights, and China's ties with Russia before President Vladimir Putin launched his Ukraine invasion.

Republicans criticized President Joe Biden for not having it downed sooner. The incident prompted a period when the military shot down other unidentified objects.

The earlier incident forced Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a planned trip to China while criticizing it as an 'irresponsible act.'

In June, the president said he didn't think 'the leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on,' calling it 'more embarrassing than it was intentional.' 

The balloon entered US airspace over Alaska in January and eventually flew over a U.S. military base in Montana before it was shot down

Last year's incident brought forth information on a series of sightings

China claimed the balloon was being used for weather-related issues, even though US intelligence agencies concluded that it was used for spying. 

The two leaders met for four hours at a historic home outside of San Francisco. Their encounter began with a warm double-clasped handshake, and a declaration by Xi that the world is 'big enough' for both countries, despite years of rising rhetoric and provocations. 

'The China-U.S. relationship has never been smooth sailing and always faces problems of one kind or another,' Xi said through a translator as he met Biden.

'Yet it has kept moving forward amidst twists and turns. For China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has terrible consequences for both sides. Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed.' 

Navy sailors recovered parts of the spy balloon after a US jet shot it down off the coast of South Carolina last year

In November, President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco as the two has high-stakes conversations about the US-China relationship

Biden said that it was 'paramount that we understand each other truly, leader-to-leader,' as he underlined the risks if the two countries failed to find a way to get along despite their differences.

'We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict and we have to manage responsibly that competition,' Biden told his counterpart. 'That's what the United States wants and what we intend to do. I believe that's also what the world wants from both of us.

Xi, 70, told the 80-year-old Biden, 'We shoulder heavy responsibilities for the world and for history.'

In recent news, former President Donald Trump said that he is planning on ramping up his trade war with China is he wins the 2024 election. 

Meanwhile, Biden is planning to introduce a series of restrictions of his own that would block China from entering America's 'essential industries' such as electronics and the semiconductor industry, in an effort to stop American cash from flowing to China.