No apologies for taking down Chinese spy balloon: Biden
Washington, February 17
The three high-flying objects which were shot down over the American and Canadian airspace this month were not related to the Chinese spy balloon programme, but most likely tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions, said US President Joe Biden, as he refused to apologise for shooting down the Chinese spy balloon.
Biden reiterated the view of US officials that the huge balloon, which traversed the country at an altitude of about 40,000ft before being blown out of the sky by a US fighter jet over the Atlantic, was in fact used for spying.
Can’t ask for talks amid tensions: beijing
- China sharply reacted to Joe Biden’s remarks defending his orders to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon
- Biden asserted to remain in communication with China but didn’t apologise for taking the balloon down
- “The US cannot ask for communication while fuelling tensions,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said
- The US needed to work with China in the same direction and manage differences, the official added
“I hope we are going to get to the bottom of this, but I make no apologies for taking down that balloon,” President Biden said.
Biden said this in his speech at the White House, his first one after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on February 4. Three other high-flying objects were shot down by American fighter jets – two in the US and one in Canada.
“The US and Canadian military are seeking to recover the debris so they can learn more about these three objects. The intelligence community is still assessing all three incidences. They’re reported to him daily and will continue their urgent efforts to do so, and he will communicate that to the Congress,” President Biden said.
“We don’t yet know exactly what these three objects were, but nothing right now suggests they were related to China’s spy programme or that they were vehicles from any other country,” he said.
