Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of an unmanned airship into US airspace due to force majeure.

The civilian airship from China used for research — mainly meteorological — deviated far from its planned course due to strong air currents and its limited self-steering capability, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

The Chinese side will continue communicating with the US side and properly handle the unexpected situation, the spokesperson said.

The Associated Press earlier quoted US officials as saying the US is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over US airspace for a couple of days.