US-China ties deflate further over spy balloon fracas

WASHINGTON: US-China relations, already edgy over a range of issues, is in danger of deflating further after the

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pentagon said it has detected a surveillance balloon over Montana,

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a state that is home to some of America's most lethal nuclear Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICMBs).

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US officials said Thursday that the military has been tracking the spy balloon for several days

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and has even considered shooting it down, but a decision on this has been deferred in the interest of public safety.

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and has even considered shooting it down, but a decision on this has been deferred in the interest of public safety.

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it "does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground,” officials said.

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