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The article repeatedly uses the adjectives "surveillance", "spy" to refer to the balloon, even though there is no source confirming that was the device's purpose, and notably it did not send any data home during its transit over the US. Forensic analysis only revealed meteorological equipment, antennas (which according to leaks were just regular communication antennas), basic steering devices and solar panels. Notably, no firmware analysis was mentioned, which would have easily confirmed its status as a surveillance balloon.
The other three balloons downed a week later were confirmed not to be spy balloons; the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade claimed one, one research institution from the US (I don't remember) claimed another. They were the kind of balloons that the Air Forces typically don't take down, but apparently just decided to in a very short timeframe.
Maybe they initially feared it was a spy balloon, discovered in a few days it wasn't, then tried to alleviate the diplomatic hit by destroying every other "unidentified" balloon in their airspace, Chinese or not. And the PR mitigation for the local population is here: the balloon must have been for surveillance. This is the only hypothesis that makes sense to me (edit: feel free to provide others or point out flaws in my reasoning).
Just curious... if it had 'basic steering devices,' why didn't they steer it away from the U.S.?
Because they were too basic? E.g. out of range of the Chinese controllers.
Why would the Chinese be able to control a balloon any less or more than a satellite?