President Joe Biden has said he does not believe the recent flight of a Chinese spy balloon over the United States, which was later shot down over the Atlantic Ocean, led to serious harm to safety.
Biden, who is trying to maintain communication channels with China and keep tensions with Beijing from spiraling out of control, told Noticias Telemundo in an interview that he has no regrets that the balloon was only shot down at the above the ocean.
“There are no major security flaws here,” Biden said. “It’s a violation of international law. It’s our airspace. And once our airspace is in, we can do whatever we want with it.
According to the president, military representatives feared that if the balloon was shot over land, its parts could fall on a populated area.
“It was a giant thing. What if it falls on a school in the countryside? What if it falls? I told them: as soon as you can knock it down, shoot him down. They made a wise decision. They got him out of the water and lifted most of the pieces, and now everything is in order,” Biden said.
Biden ordered the balloon to be shot down on February 2 as it crossed the border into the northwestern United States, but agreed to the US military’s request that no action be taken until it was clear. wasn’t above the water.
The 61-meter-tall balloon, along with the electronics attached to it, was shot down by an American fighter off the coast of South Carolina on February 4. The US military tried to collect as many details as possible.
Some Republicans and Democrats have said Biden should have knocked the ball down sooner. The high-altitude observation balloon was first seen over Alaska on January 28.
Meanwhile, US officials said the balloon was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals as part of an extensive military aerial surveillance program that covers more than 40 countries.
Officials cited photos taken by US U-2 spy planes.
The United States said the balloon fleet is operated by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and is used for espionage purposes, equipped with high-tech equipment designed to collect classified information from around the world.
Similar balloons have been spotted on five continents, officials said.
The details made public outlining the scope and capabilities of the program were intended to refute China’s persistent claims that the balloon was not used for espionage purposes.
On Thursday, Beijing said the US claims about the ball were part of an “information war”.
