China admits the 'spy balloon' over the US belongs to it, but insists it wasn't for spying and ended up there by accident

• The US is tracking what it termed a Chinese spy balloon, which has been hovering over Montana.
• On Friday, China confirmed the balloon belonged to it but said it was not being used for spying. 
• Its foreign ministry said it was used for "mainly meteorological" purposes and was blown off course.

China admitted on Friday that the large, white balloon spotted over Montana is its own, but denied that it was being used for spying purposes. 

In an official statement, China's foreign ministry said the balloon is a civilian airship used mainly for "meteorological research."