Canada Summons Chinese Ambassador to Explain Spy Balloon

A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said on Feb. 2, 2023. Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP

The federal government has summoned China’s ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, to explain the high-altitude surveillance balloon currently hovering in U.S. airspace, which the Pentagon has said was “most certainly” launched by Beijing.

“We will continue to vigorously express our position to Chinese officials through multiple channels,” Global Affairs Canada (GAC) spokesperson Jason Kung said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Feb. 3.