It comes after a Chinese balloon was spotted in US airspace last week and later shot down. The United States believes the balloon was used for espionage purposes, but China maintains it was a weather balloon.

The six Chinese companies were added on the grounds that they sell equipment for China’s defense, including balloons and similar equipment, the ministry wrote in a press release.

Knock down an object

An unknown flying object has been shot down over Alaska on the orders of President Joe Biden, the White House announced Friday.

It is not known what type of object it is, but it is much smaller than the large Chinese balloon that was recently shot down off South Carolina.

The object was the size of a small car and was at an altitude of 40,000 feet in US airspace. According to the White House, the object could pose a danger to aviation.

It was shot down by an American fighter after pilots of another aircraft observed the object and determined it was unmanned.

The object fell in US territorial waters in northern Alaska, on the border with Canada, according to AFP. The sea ice impact area is expected to be small, and there is hope that the remains can be recovered.

John Kirby, spokesman for the United States National Security Council, says it is unclear whether it is a state-owned object. He does not know if contacts have been made with China about the object.

The Pentagon first became aware of the object Thursday evening. Not sure where it came from, and it didn’t seem like it could be steered, just drifted with the wind.