What if the Chinese told the U.S. there was a virus in the balloon and if shot down we would have another epidemic.
Who’s to say that they haven’t rigged it to explode over a highly populated area. I don’t trust them. At all!
Also, people are discounting Montana, but there is a AF base in Cheyenne that monitors all the underground missile silos in that area...and into Nebraska. I know that for a fact, unless it’s been deactivated in the past few years. Even they could be a target.