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US general says Chinese balloons flew by undetected
HISTORY: The U.S. Coast Guard imposed a temporary containment zone in waters off South Carolina on Monday as the military collected debris from a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by a U.S. fighter jet over the weekend, calling the balloon an “apparent overreaction,” calling for the U.S on keeping a low profile on the episode. Speaking outside the White House on Monday, President Joe Biden insisted the incident had not weakened US-China relations. “No. We have made it clear to China what we are going to do. You understand our position. We won’t do it back. We did the right thing. And it’s not about weakening or strengthening. It’s just reality.” REPORTER: “Was it always your idea to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon, or was it just because it became public?” BIDEN: “Oh no. It was always my position. When it came to the United States from Canada, I told the Department of Defense that I wanted to shoot it down as soon as it was appropriate. They concluded, they concluded that we shouldn’t shoot It wasn’t a serious threat and we should wait until it came over the water. “The balloon prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned visit to China, but there was no update on Monday as to when it might be postponed. “We are… we have not had discussions at this time about rescheduling the trip. The White House said lines of communication would remain open, but the ball responsible for the downing of the balloon was in China’s playing field, saying previous spy balloons had flown undetected by the US military in what it called a “blackout.” . The Pentagon said over the weekend that Chinese spy balloons flew briefly over the United States at least three times during President Donald Trump’s administration, and one previously under President Joe Biden. VanHerck said the balloon launched Saturday was 200 feet tall and had a payload underneath that weighed a few thousand pounds. VanHerck didn’t rule out that explosives might have been on the balloon, but said he had no evidence of it either. However, this risk was a factor in his planning to launch the balloon over open water.
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