by Marco Valsania
But the President is open to dialogue with Xi Jinping. On land: The other three destroyed flying objects were probably used for research or recreation.
3′ read
Joe Biden, in his first detailed statements to the nation on the crisis of spy balloons and mystery craft in American skies, said that the last three “unidentified craft” shot down were in all likelihood not part of foreign espionage or surveillance activities. An attitude that seemed to want to reassure the population, even if, in at least some of the most recent episodes, it raised suspicions of disproportionate reactions from the administration.
The situation is different for Biden when the first balloon discovered was launched, a large Chinese spy airship according to the White House. “I don’t apologize,” he said, referring to the destruction of the Chinese balloon. However, as a possible sign of his willingness to avoid an excessive escalation of tensions, he added that he was ready to resume lines of communication with Beijing, including talks with Xi Jinping, as soon as possible and that he didn’t want a “new one”. Cold War”.
“Rest assured – he said – if any object poses a threat to the safety of the American people, I will have it shot down,” Biden said. The three objects spotted after Beijing’s first spy balloon were removed as a “precautionary measure” related to potential risks to civilian air travel.
Biden also announced new safety and prevention initiatives in the face of the so-called “balloon crisis”: He said new “protocols” would be launched to identify and catalog objects. And that national regulations will be updated as Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushes for new global talks on balloon-related safety issues and the need for new global regulations.
Speaking from the White House, the President minimized the specter of a general new threat posed by objects in the US sky. “Nothing indicates” that the last three objects discovered and destroyed are linked to Chinese spy programs or other nations, he said of the other three objects discovered and destroyed. Likely, he added, citing the US Secret Service ruling, they were linked to private research, corporate or institutional, or recreational purposes. Biden also said the results are not indicative of a sudden increase in the number of such objects in the sky, although he said analyst teams are still “studying” them thoroughly.
The downing of the first object, the large Chinese spy balloon, instead wanted to send a clear signal against any violation of US airspace and territorial sovereignty. However, Biden also explicitly presented an olive branch. “We don’t want a conflict with China, but the competition” does business “responsibly”. And he hoped to speak to Chinese leader Xi soon after bilateral contacts froze in the shadow of the spy balloon.
The President’s speech was presented as a “response to recent air objects”. Its emergence reveals the mix of tension and confusion surrounding the phenomenon. It came after US authorities, intelligence agencies and the FBI recovered significant physical remains of the downed Chinese spy balloon as it flew over the United States and its onboard surveillance technology, an episode followed by the destruction of three other unidentified flying objects of obscure provenance in the appear smaller and less threatening, but which the White House feared would disrupt civilian flights. Administration officials later indicated that the three items were likely commercial and for “benign” purposes. With the Chinese balloon, the question arises as to whether the route through the US was planned by the Chinese armed forces or was involuntary.
Nonetheless, given the sudden alarm about Heaven’s safety, numerous members of Congress invoked the need for his explanations to the country about what happened. The Republican opposition has so far attacked his response as weak. In quick succession, Biden accused Beijing of violating US airspace and of launching a huge espionage program from the sky with sophisticated balloons. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken immediately canceled a visit to Beijing and some Chinese companies specifically linked to military aerospace programs have been banned. The Pentagon has also recalibrated radars and strengthened systems to better detect and track balloons and the like.
The American moves have sparked Chinese reactions and raised the temperature between the two powers. China called the American reaction “hysterical” and unfounded, and reserved the decision to take “countermeasures.” He denounced that even Washington has violated Chinese airspace with spy balloons at least 10 times from 2022 to date, a fact denied by the White House. In the last few hours, it has officially triggered new sanctions against two major US defense companies, Lockheed and Raytheon, for their arms sales to Taiwan.
Marco Valsania
journalist
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