The White House says Chinese spy balloons have operated over five continents

Chinese “spy” balloons have been spotted in skies above countries across five continents, according to US officials.

The US has also been in touch with its allies on the issue of the balloons, according to the White House.

Another suspected surveillance balloon was spotted over Latin America and CNN posted these images of spy balloon sightings over Taiwan.

On Tuesday, the US navy shared pictures of the downed balloon being removed by hand from the sea.

The appearance of the balloon over the US sparked a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Bejiing, with US secretary of state Antony Blinken cancelling his visit to the world’s second-largest economy as a result.