WASHINGTON

The White House on Friday said the presence of a Chinese balloon in US air space is a “clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law.”

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “... the presence of this balloon in our airspace, it is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law and it is unacceptable.”

Adding that the president was briefed on the issue on Tuesday, she said: “It (surveillance balloon) does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”

Repeating the Pentagon’s statement saying that they are “tracking” it closely, she said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley recommended against “kinetic action” because of the “risks to safety and security of the people on the ground.”

On Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponing his planned trip to China after the discovery of the balloon, Jean-Pierre said Biden “agrees” with the decision.

“And it was a consensus that it was not appropriate to travel to the People's Republic of China at this time,” she said.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said the balloon was a “civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes." However, Pentagon rejected China's explanation, saying: "The fact is, we know that it’s a surveillance balloon."