Joe Biden intends to talk with Xi Jinping about the downed Chinese balloon

The president of USA, Joe Bidenyou want to avoid a “Cold War” with Beijing after the downing of the Chinese balloon and intends to discuss it with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

The president addressed Americans for the first time on Thursday about the February 4 downing of a Chinese balloon that Washington said was conducting an espionage mission. Days later he ordered the destruction of “objects” for the time being unidentified.

“We do not want a new Cold War” and “We will continue talking with China”declared this Thursday in a short speech.

“I look forward to speaking with President Xi and getting to the bottom of this but I do not apologize for having brought down the balloon”added

Beijing claims it was a meteorological research balloon that inadvertently entered US airspace.

The decision to destroy it sends “a clear message,” according to Biden. “Any violation of our sovereignty is inadmissible”said.

“If any object poses a threat to the security of Americans, I will take it down,” insisted the 80-year-old Democratic president.

As for the other three recently destroyed objects, Biden acknowledged, like other US officials, that “nothing at the moment” showed that they were “related to China’s spy balloon program” nor with “surveillance devices from another country”.

“These three objects are probably linked to private companies, leisure activities or scientific research institutions”said.

“Objects”

“We have no evidence that there has been a sudden increase in the number of objects in the sky”said, “but we see them more” due in part to a change in radar parameters, he said.

The president says he has spoken with allies about the spy program he says China is running and called for a “better inventory” of flying objects in the sky.

The last three shoot-down operations were carried out in the name of air transport safety, since these “objects” were flying at altitudes close to those of aircraft.

In the case of the Chinese balloon, the Republican opposition criticized it for having waited too long before giving the order.

The remains of these flying “objects” will be analyzed to determine their nature, use and origin, but it is difficult to recover them because they fell into icy waters or in remote areas, John Kirby, a spokesman for the US government’s National Security Council, said Tuesday.

The issue has poisoned diplomatic relations between the United States and China, which accuse each other of espionage.

(With information from AFP)