Local authorities in China's Shandong province have reported an unidentified flying object and are preparing to shoot it down, according to state-affiliated tabloid The Global Times. The object was spotted near Rizhao, a coastal city on the Yellow Sea. Authorities have urged fishermen to be safe as they continue to monitor the situation.

The announcement comes a week after the US military shot down what it believed to be a Chinese spy balloon over parts of the US and Canada. The Chinese government condemned the US for shooting down the balloon, insisting that it was a civilian airship used primarily for meteorological research. Pentagon officials, however, claimed it was being used by the Chinese government to spy on strategic sites in the US. The US has since shot down two more unidentified objects flying over Alaska and northern Canada.

Source: Business Insider