No indication of a link to Chinese spy balloon program for 3 suspicious objects destroyed: Biden

Washington: US President Joe Biden said that three suspicious objects destroyed this month in the US and Canadian airspace have no indication of a connection to the Chinese spy balloon program. These items probably belonged to private companies or research institutes.

In his first address at the White House after a Chinese balloon was destroyed off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, US fighter jets destroyed three other objects, two in the US and one in Canada. Went.

Biden said, "The intelligence community currently estimates that these three objects were possibly balloons that belonged to private companies, entertainment or research institutions studying weather or other scientific research."

He said, "I have said from the beginning that we want competition with China and not conflict. We do not want a new cold war. We will compete. We will conduct this competition responsibly so that it does not turn into a struggle.

"This episode underscores the importance of maintaining open communication between our diplomats and our military professionals," Biden said in the wake of the Chinese balloon being destroyed. "Our diplomats continue to engage in dialogue," he said. And I will also maintain dialogue with (China's) President Xi (Jinfing). I am grateful for the work done over the past several weeks by our intelligence, diplomatic and military professionals, who have proved once again that they are among the most capable in the world.

Biden said that he had ordered the Chinese surveillance balloons to be shot down as soon as possible, as it was necessary from a security point of view. "The Army had advised it to avoid hitting it over the ground because of its huge size, which was the size of several school buses, and if it was shot down over the ground, it would remain on the ground," he said. There could have been a danger to the people.

"Instead we monitored it closely, we analyzed its capabilities and we gathered more information about how it works," he said. Biden said, "We waited until It did not reach safely above the water area. Not only would this have saved the citizens, but we would have been able to recover enough of its components for further analysis. Then we shot it down, sending a clear message." He said, "Violation of American sovereignty is unacceptable."

Meanwhile, China on Friday reacted sharply to US President Biden's remarks defending his order to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon and his claim to "remain in dialogue" with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Said that Washington cannot ask for talks by promoting tension.

Responding to Biden's remarks at a press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said he had no information about the possibility of Biden-Xi talks so far.

He said, "America cannot ask for talks by promoting tension." He said that he had no information about the possibility of Biden-Xi talks. He said that America needs to work with China in the same direction and resolve differences.