Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kurova Kulman.

China says it is in touch with U.S. authorities over a suspected surveillance balloon that the

Pentagon alleges China has been flying over the continental United States.

The charge comes just days before Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is supposed to visit

Beijing, and Pierce Emily Fang has more.

The Pentagon said it left the balloon and monitored it, rather than shooting it down after

it was spotted in Montana.

The U.S. got in touch with China, which it says was collecting intelligence on sensitive

areas in the U.S. with the balloon.

That has made things more difficult for Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who was expected

to arrive in Beijing on Sunday, as part of a joint effort to patch up the U.S.-China

relationship.

At a daily press conference in Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said China

was still confirming the situation and cautioned against making, quote,, wild guesses.

She said, quote, China is figuring out the relevant situation, and we hope to deal with

this calmly with the U.S.

Emily Fang and Pierce News.

The Labor Department reports this morning on job gains for the month of January.

And bear Scott Horsley reports, forecasters expect to see a modest downshift from the pace

of hiring compared to the month before.

U.S. employers added 223,000 jobs in December.

Last month's gains are expected to be somewhat lower.

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