What are China’s ‘spy balloons’? UK Government minister warns one may have flown over Britain

China may have launched spy balloons over Britain, a Government minister said on Monday.

The news comes after fears about similar security threats in the US. Its military shot down four flying objects in the last week, one a suspected Chinese spy balloon and three unidentified so far.

UK transport minister Richard Holden stressed that China was a “hostile state” and that the UK needed to be “robust” in its response to Beijing’s actions.

Asked if China may have carried out espionage missions over the UK, Mr Holden told Sky News: “It’s possible. It’s also possible and I would think likely that there would be people from the Chinese government trying to act as a hostile state.

“The Government is concerned about what is going on, concerned about influence more broadly of some states.”

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has ordered a security review following the incidents in the US.

US military fighter jets on Sunday shot down an octagonal object over Lake Huron, the Pentagon said. This was the latest incident since a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon put North American security forces on high alert.

The balloon said to be the size of three buses first entered the US airspace near Alaska on Saturday, January 28.

As US’s fears over China collecting sensitive military information about the nation heightened, President Joe Biden gave the go-ahead to take down the balloon “as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon’s path”.

The balloon was shot down by the US air force on Saturday, February 4, causing increasing tension between the US and China.

Since then, the US military has shot down three further unidentified objects.

Here is everything we know about the suspected spy balloons.

What has China said about the spy balloon claims?

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on February 3: “Regarding the unintended entry of a Chinese unmanned airship into US airspace due to force majeure, the Chinese side has verified it and communicated it to the US side. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes.

“Affected by the Westerlies [prevailing winds from the west towards the east] and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. This is entirely an unexpected situation caused by force majeure and the facts are very clear.

“China always acts in strict accordance with international law and respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. We have no intention to violate and have never violated the territory or airspace of any sovereign country.

“Some politicians and media in the US have hyped it up to attack and smear China. The Chinese side is firmly opposed to that.”

The ministry said it was important for both parties to act in a “cool-headed” and “prudent” manner in such unexpected situations to protect diplomatic relations.

China has since threatened “further actions” in response to the US’s “serious overreaction”, with the foreign ministry saying: “China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests and, at the same time, reserving the right to take further actions in response.”

Regarded a second balloon that travelled across Latin America on February 3, China said its aircraft had “accidentally entered Latin American and Caribbean airspace” due to weather.

Were US officials worried about the balloon?

US officials initially said they were not overly concerned as they knew “exactly where the balloon is and exactly where it is passing over”.

Officials said after shooting down the balloon that it had not collected information that could have threatened national security.

US Navy divers have been working to recover the wreckage for expert analysis.

The former chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, believes this was a “deliberate” act of intelligence farming, because the balloon’s propellers make it manoeuvrable.

“This was not an accident. It was intelligence,” he said.

What exactly are spy balloons and why are they used?

A spy balloon is a relatively unused piece of arsenal these days. High-altitude balloons were used for military missions, mainly by Japan in the Second World War.

They float to an intended area using jetstream air currents and can scan wide areas of territory, They cannot be directly steered, however.

Balloons are cheaper to run than satellites. Most satellite-surveillance equipment requires space launchers, which cost hundreds of millions. Balloons can be launched relatively cheaply.

What do we know about the other three objects shot down by the US?

Only the first object so far has been attributed to Beijing.

The US has said the balloons were part of a “fleet” that has spanned five continents.

Some analysts have suggested this may be the start of a major Chinese surveillance effort targeting foreign military capabilities before possible acute tensions over Taiwan in the coming years. China sees the self-ruled island as a breakaway province that will eventually be under Beijing’s control. It sits in the so-called “first island chain”, which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to US foreign policy.

The Pentagon said it was more closely scrutinising radar results since the balloon discovery.

“Now, of course, we’re looking for them. So I think we’re probably finding more stuff,” Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, told NBC.

US authorities said they were still investigating some of the objects shot down. They have not ruled out the possibility of them being UFOs.

Asked if officials had ruled out extraterrestrials, General Glen VanHerck, head of Norad and US Northern Command, said: “I haven’t ruled out anything at this point.”