According to a U.S. official, a Chinese balloon that was brought down had been intended for Hawaii but was diverted from its course by strong winds

On Wednesday, a U.S. official, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that a Chinese balloon that had been shot down in the United States had originally been on a trajectory to pass over Guam and Hawaii, but prevailing winds had caused it to deviate off course. The balloon, which the U.S. accuses China of using for surveillance, was described by China as a civilian research vessel. After passing over Alaska's Aleutian Islands, Canada, and the central United States, the balloon was shoot down by the U.S army off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4. The incident has exacerbated tensions between the U.S. and China, prompting U.S. An Official delay a planned visit to Beijing. The Washington Post reported that U.S. military and intelligence agencies had been tracking the balloon since its launch from Hainan Island, near China's southern coast. During a regular briefing on Thursday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, refused to answer a question about the balloon's original trajectory, instead repeating China's position that the U.S. should not "overreact."