A few days after the shooting down of three unknown aircraft over the USA and Canada, the US President has now commented on this and strengthened the impression of an American overreaction. It is not yet known exactly what these three objects were, said Joe Biden in the White House on Thursday, but there was nothing to indicate a connection to Chinese espionage. “Most likely” they are “tied to private companies, leisure or research institutions” “that study the weather or carry out other scientific research”.
Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Biden ordered one of these airships to be taken down from the sky. Fighter jets then fired guided missiles at the target. “Out of an excess of caution,” he said now. “During a hectic period, the US may have used sophisticated weapons to bring down harmless objects,” writes the Washington Post. The operations followed the previous weekend when a Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina after days of crossing the United States.
Objects that could endanger people will continue to be shot down, says Biden
“We have no evidence that the number of objects in the sky suddenly increased,” Biden said. “We’re just seeing more of them now, in part because of the steps we’ve taken to beef up our radars.” He did not give any details, otherwise it would be a guide “for our enemies to try to circumvent our defenses”. Objects that could endanger people on the ground or aviation will continue to be shot down, Biden said. He also defended his late firing order in the Chinese balloon case, which had drawn criticism from Republicans in particular.
Its route was followed closely and the technology examined, the balloon and the debris from its instruments were salvaged, and a lot could be learned from it. “We sent a clear message, a clear message that violating our sovereignty is unacceptable,” Biden said. “We will act to protect our country.” He did not apologize for bringing down the balloon, he replied when asked, but tried to calm the difficult relationship with Beijing after the incident and in view of the tensions in the Pacific. There are open lines of communication, the US President said, and he will also speak to China’s President Xi Jinping. “We’re looking for competition, not a conflict with China. We’re not looking for a new Cold War.”