“US Military Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon: Beijing’s Response and the US’s Stance”

HISTORY: The US 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 US fighter jet over the weekend.

China called the launch of the balloon an “apparent overreaction” and urged the US to stand back 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. They understand our position. We will not back down. We did the right thing. And it’s not about weakening or strengthening. It’s just reality.” .”

REPORTER: “Was it always your intention to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon, or 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 came to the conclusion, they came to the conclusion that we shouldn’t shoot it down over land. It wasn’t a serious threat and we should wait for it to get over the water.

The balloon prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned visit to China, but there was no update Monday on when it might be postponed.

“We are … we have not had any talks about postponing the trip at this point.”

The White House said lines of communication would remain open, but the ball was in China’s hands.

“It’s up to China to figure out what kind of relationship they want.”

Meanwhile, Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, who was responsible for the balloon’s downing, said previous spy balloons had flown undetected by the US military in what he called a “blackout”.

The Pentagon said over the weekend that Chinese spy balloons had flown briefly over the United States at least three times during the administration of President Donald Trump and once previously under President Joe Biden.

VanHerck said the balloon launched Saturday was 200 feet tall with a payload underneath weighing 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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