Joe Biden says about china balloon; President Joe Biden has said. He will not apologize for shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of the United States.
He said the balloon was use for surveillance. But the three other objects shot down over North America were probably not foreign spy ships.
The United States would now improve detection of similar aerial objects, he said.
Biden also said he plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping soon about this month’s incident.
“I hope we get to the bottom of it, but I’m not apologizing for taking. That balloon down,” Biden said Thursday at the White House.
China has denie the balloon was use for surveillance, saying it flew away while collecting weather data.
But Biden reiterate US officials’ view that the balloon. Which cross the country at about 40,000 feet (12,000 m) before being blast out of the sky over the Atlantic Ocean. By a US fighter jet, was actually use for espionage. . .
He said the United States would continue to negotiate with China on the issue. “We’re not looking for a new Cold War,” Biden said.
Brief remarks leave questions unanswered
Joe Biden is under increasing pressure to speak directly to the public about the alleged Chinese surveillance device. Three unidentified objects that US fighter jets have been racing to destroy over the past week.
On Thursday afternoon, he did — but his brief appearance will do little to silence critics or those seeking more information and clarification.
It did not shed light on the nature of these objects or provide any further information about the first Chinese balloon. He did not discuss when the Chinese balloon was first found. Its destination, or recent reports that it pointed toward the US island of Guam, but then changed direction. He also did not say why no more objects were target after last week’s many incidents.
To be clear, this was weak sauce. And as a public relations effort, it’s likely to be talk about.
That may calm the seas for now, but the next time a hot air balloon floats across the American sky. Fighter jets race and rockets fly, the questions will resurface.
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Biden spoke about three other objects later shot down in Alaska. Northwestern Canada and over Lake Huron on the US-Canada border, according to. Which the intelligence community believes they are “probably balloons associated with private companies, recreational or research organizations.”
Joe Biden says about china balloon; According to the president. The improved radar introduced as a result of the Chinese balloon can explain the discovery of the three objects.
“So I’ve directed my team to come back to me with sharper rules for how. We deal with these unknowns going forward, distinguishing between those. That are likely to pose security and defense risks that require action and those that do not. . .” Mr. Biden’s comments they came after the White House felt it needed to dispel speculation. That the three objects were of extraterrestrial origin.
Officials said the slow-moving, unidentified objects posed no threat to people on the ground and were destroyed “to protect our safety, interests and flight safety.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which has been coordinating the search for the objects across Canada, announced Thursday that it was suspending its search of Lake Huron, in part because of the low likelihood of recovery.
Asked if he would take similar action again, Biden said: “Make no mistake, if anything threatens the security of the American people, I will remove it.”
In an interview with NBC News, he declined to say when he planned to speak with Chinese President Xi.
“I think the last thing Xi wants is to basically cut ties with the United States and with me,” Biden told the broadcaster.
China reiterated its explanation for the balloon shot down on February 4, with a spokesman telling reporters that the United States should try to avoid “misunderstandings and misjudgments.”
As tensions rise over US skies, military commanders said Thursday that US fighter jets had intercepted Russian jets flying near Alaska for the second time this week.
According to a statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad), which is jointly controlled by the United States and Canada, it is a “routine” relationship with Russia.
